Yin and Yang
by MedliSage
Summary: After the final battle, N and White begin traveling together to see the world. But how will they deal not only with an immediate threat to the both of them but also the hidden feelings for each other? NxWhite/Touko.
1. Chapter one

**Yin and Yang**

_By MedliSage_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Chapter one

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

His trusted Zoroark finally fainted and was withdrawn by his friend into a Poké Ball. He had performed at his best, as he always had, and his trainer could not have asked for anything more.

The girl on the opposite side of the battle field withdrew her Samurott. The battle was won. The heavy wind of the area, drafting in from the now-broken walls, whipped the ponytails of both the trainers to the side as they stood in silence, their eyes locked.

Not a word was spoken before the sound of thunderous footsteps came from the castle, crashing towards them as they sped along the stone floor. Stopping not even for a second at the girl, they made their way straight towards the boy.

The man angrily shot one arm out from beneath his ornate robes, his cold stare fixated on the boy, at least a head shorter than he. "You... lost? Even still, are you not of the Harmonia name, the same as I? What a worthless son..."

The girl flinched at the words, even if they weren't directed at her. Son? He was... related to this man? To Ghetsis?

And yet his supposed son stood still and stoic, not taking his eyes off of his father as he spoke to him.

Ghetsis turned his attention to the girl. "Originally, the reason I gave N the dream he has is so that he could resurrect the legendary Pokémon for my sake. It would have granted me authority! Everyone would fear me and I could easily manipulate the people." He faced towards his son again. "You managed to do that, but... the two that are bound to these legendary Pokémon are destined to battle for their respective beliefs. And you wanted to confirm whether you were a true hero or not... But in the end you were defeated by a mere trainer. There's a limit to how foolish you can be!" He paused, his eyes gaining a coldness that the girl thought was impossible. "In other words, you are a distorted and imperfect human who was raised together with Pokémon..."

N's face did not falter in the slightest, but the girl fought back tears. How could he say something like that, to his own child?

Once more, Ghetsis looked back to the girl. "White! To think someone like you would be chosen by the legend was something I hadn't expected at all. But my goal is still the same! I will not falter! I will rule the world and its foolish human inhabitants that know nothing!

I will still have N continue to be the king of Team Plasma, but in order to do so... I must erase you, since you know the truth." He reached back into his robes, but froze as footsteps were heard coming up the stairs. The present party of three focused their attention to them.

"Such foolish ideas," said Alder as he and Cheren stepped up from the stairs.

Ghetsis scowled. "At any rate, even though they are called gods, they are nothing but Pokémon when it comes down to it." His eyes, filled with rage, locked into the girl's once more. "White! You are lacking in fear – come face me! I want to see your face filled with despair!"

N stepped forward, his eyes too focused on White – only to be stopped by his father. "White!" He called, his voice filled with concern and fear.

Ghetsis tossed a Poké Ball with his free hand, and yelled, "No matter what you do, you can't stop me!"

White, silently and without hesitation, tossed out the Poké Ball which contained her Braviary, faced against Ghetsis's Cofagrigus.

The battle was heated; the field was silent, the atmosphere heavy with the intensity of the conflict. Save for the occasional roar of the wind, the only sounds heard were the commands being shouted by the two trainers and the furious attacks of the Pokémon.

One by one, they were fainted and recalled, until the only two that remained were White's trusted Samurott and Ghetsis's Hydreigon. The two were at their limits.

"Samurott! Just one more well-placed shot! I believe in you! Use Ice Beam!"

"Hydreigon, don't let that weakling bring you down! You're not that weak...!"

The shot of ice pierced the air from Samurott to his opponent, landing a direct hit in its torso. The Pokémon cried out before it fell to the ground, unmoving. Without motion, Ghetsis returned it to its Poké Ball, his eyes on the ground, overcast by shadows.

Silence.

"What?" He said quietly. His head shot up, and his voice echoed throughout the room. "What is this? I'm a perfect man that managed to build up an organization like Team Plasma! I'm a perfect ruler that was supposed to change the world!"

Alder turned to face the young prince. "Well N, do you still believe Pokémon and humans should be separated?"

N turned away his eyes not meeting those of anyone else. Perhaps he was contemplating his response, but before he could say anything, Ghetsis looked to him and laughed. "Hahaha! I only raised you to get the legendary Pokémon since I couldn't become a hero myself, N! I guess one could call you a monster that doesn't have the heart of a human." His gaze went back to Alder. "Do you really think such a distorted person can understand what you're saying?"

Alder began speaking once again to N, but his voice was like white noise on a blank background to White as her mind still fixated on Ghetsis's words. A monster? No heart? _N?_ The same N that has challenged her along her journey, telling her of his ideals, the same N that must love Pokémon so, the same N whose room is that of an innocent child's, the same N whose light emerald eyes constantly shone with that strong emotion, that strong determination and strength, with such compassion and courage?

His voice, the one she knew so well, broke her out of her thoughts. Usually filled with confidence, it was now filled with uncertainty and distress. "But I'm not qualified to be a hero...! Even though I just fought you like I really understood anything about my beliefs... Why?"

Silence.

Or perhaps it wasn't silence, perhaps words were spoken. No, they were probably spoken, as Ghetsis was arrested and taken away by Alder and Cheren. But White would not know, as her stare fixated on N the entire time; his eyes lay on the ground, the visor of his cap covering them from view.

Together they stood, perhaps fifteen feet between the pair, just the two of them, for what felt like years.

Still motionless, he finally spoke, his soft voice breaking the silence. "There's something I want to tell you... it's about when we first met in Accumula town." He looked up, meeting her misty blue eyes. "What I heard your Pokémon say really shocked me... Because that Pokémon said it loved you and wanted to be with you..." He paused, his eyes drifting off to the side. "I couldn't understand it. That there were Pokémon in the world that loved humans. Because I had never met any Pokémon like that before... And the more I continued my journey, my beliefs started to falter. All I met were people and Pokémon putting their lives on the line for each other." His eyes returned to the ground. "So in order to make sure exactly what I was believing in, I wanted to fight you... To face each other like the heroes we both were chosen to be, that's what I wished for... But I who only understood Pokémon..." N shook his head. "No, I who didn't even understand Pokémon..." Finally, his eyes met with White's again. "There was no way I could beat you, who was blessed and surrounded with many Pokémon."

He paused, and White took one step forward. "N..." She began, having no idea what she was going to add to that thought.

But N spoke again. "Well, the champion had it in his heart to forgive someone like me... But, in the end I am the one that decides what I should do." He turned around, facing the opening in the wall that the legendary Pokémon had created when it flew in. He held up a Poké Ball, and the red light it emitted quickly took form into Reshiram.

N turned around to face White, who had taken two more steps towards him. She froze as their eyes locked again. He spoke after the brief pause, his voice sounding with its familiar courage and confidence; yet, it was not the same – perhaps it was faltering, perhaps it was not completely sure this time.

The fact is that it _was_ faltering, it _was_ unsure. He was always unsure when he met gazes with this girl, this girl who had a heart filled with a compassion and goodness far greater than N had ever imagined, let alone encountered – this girl, who, for whatever reason, made his heart feel as though it was jumping and caused that tingling, warm nervousness to awash his body. But like Reshiram and Zekrom themselves, they were opposites who could not be together; destined to forever counter the other. She was human and he was not, he was a monster as his father said, and she was a person with a beautiful heart. She was able to truly understand Pokémon and he was not – she had proven this for the final time, and now it was time for him to leave her forever – this girl who had made him realize the truth, this girl who had forever changed his life. "White! You said you had a dream... Fulfill that dream! Make your wonderful dream a reality. I believe you can do it if anyone!" He stepped back, one hand on Reshiram, watching as White took a step of equal distance forward. "Well then... Goodbye...!"

"N-No, N, please, wait," White manage to stammer as he swung one leg over the Pokémon.

He looked back at her, surprised. "Y... yes?" Her statement had caught him off guard. What could she possibly want?

The girl took two more steps forward. "W... where are you going to go?"

His eyes shifted away from her again. "I'm not too sure," he said slowly. "I want to continue to explore Unova. And then, I think... I'm going to go to other lands, to completely new places." N raised his head to face White again. "I want to see the world, and figure out the truth and what it is I really want to do." White opened her mouth as he paused, but he continued to speak. "Now that fa... now that Ghetsis is not here, now that Team Plasma is disbanded... I'm going to truly be on my own."

White took yet another step forward, the distance between the two shrinking to but five feet. "N..."

Before she could expand on the thought, he spoke again. "White... you showed me the truth. You showed me that I was wrong." This time it was he who took two steps forward, their eyes still locked, each looking into each others, searching, as if they would find answers in them. "And for that, I deeply thank you."

And then it was silent again, again for what felt like lifetimes.

Slowly, steadily, N turned and put one hand on Reshiram. His eyes drifted to the ground, his voice quiet and filled with a sorrow even he could not mask. "I... I will miss you, White. Farewell."

Before he could move an inch, her voice shot through the air. "I would miss you too. So, please..."

N's head whipped around at the sound of her voice, which resounded with a sudden emotion. Her head was turned down, the visor of her hat covering her eyes.

Without warning, White looked quickly back up at him – their eyes staring into each other's again. "I want to explore the world and see new places, too. And... if we'd both miss each other, then... then let's go together."

Travel? With her, with White? No... there was no way. They were too different. She was emotional and compassionate and he was not – she grew up in a small town like a normal girl and he grew up... here, by himself. She truly understood Pokémon and he did not. She was a human and he was not. There was no possible way they could exist together beyond their destinies of battling each other. "White... You and I... are very different..." He said slowly, solemnly, not taking his eyes off hers. If only there was a way, if only there was a way for them not to have to part ways – she had shown him the truth, she had changed his life, and he didn't want to leave the cause of that, he didn't want to leave_ her,_ but they were too different, they couldn't be together – what compelled her to suggest this?

"Even if that's true," she replied instantly, "I, I think," she stammered, rare for her, "that even if we're different... I think we're both very alike, too." Though she continued to stare at him, trying to convey as much of her determination as she could silently, her heart was racing and her legs felt like jelly – how stupid she must seem, he obviously wanted to travel alone – and what could he be thinking, as he continued to stare back at her? Was he looking for words that wouldn't hurt her feelings, or was he seriously contemplating it? This boy, this boy who moved her so with his ideals and courage, who even without knowing it gave her strength, who had quickly become so important to her – he couldn't just leave like this. Their promise of this eventual battle, their promise of meeting had driven them to this point in their journey, so surely they could travel together as companions – he couldn't really want to leave just like that, right?

They bored into each other's eyes, searching for answers. Her eyes, filled with such a strong sense of longing and determination, and his eyes, filled with such a strong sense of longing and conflict.

The asphyxiating silence was long and heavy, covering all other senses of the atmosphere.

As if a repeat of their earlier battle, her misty blue eyes took him over and won, and he took one step forward towards her, his hand extended. The silence carried one for one more moment before he spoke. "Okay. Let's travel together."

Again, she moved her foot forward, this time linking them by placing her palm in his. Her smile seemed to radiate and light up the entire room, her blue eyes now looking as if they were oceans sparkling with dappled sunlight. "Okay."

A mysterious force made him return the smile, the same force which caused him to become uneasy when he looked at her sometimes – he had to figure out what that feeling was sometime.

Not letting go of her hand, N pulled himself onto Reshiram, gently helping White up as well. Forced to let go of her, he put both his hands on the legendary Pokémon and said, in his usual soft-spoken voice, "Put your arms around my waist. You can't fall."

He braced himself as he felt her warm arms slip around him. He never liked being touched, it always reminded him of what his fa... of what Ghetsis would do when he was angry, and so he normally flinched when touched by others, especially without warning. But no, not this time – her touch was warm and soft, gentle and kind, just like White herself.

"Where are we going?" White asked.

N looked up at the sky beyond the broken wall. "Well... where do you want to go?"

"Everywhere."

He could not help but smile at the simple response, turning his head around only to be met with her own look of happiness. It faded a bit as he pondered aloud, "White, where do you live?"

White blinked. "I live in Nuvema Town."

"I know you've seen it, but... can we go there? I want to see where you grew up," he said as his attention turned back to the sky.

She nodded once. "Sure. I haven't seen my mom in a while, anyway."

At her statement, he looked back at her again with a questioning expression. "You have a mother?"

White tilted her head to the side slightly. "Yeah, I have a mother."

There was a pause.

"Nuvema Town is south, correct?"

"Right."

Once more, N smiled at her before facing forward. "Okay. Let's go!"

Reshiram roared once before leaping off the broken debris of the throne room, soaring into the sky, the two bound by fate on its back.

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Chapter one end.

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A/N: So um, yeah. I dunno how many chapters. Probably three or so. I'm going to try as hard as I can throughout the fic to keep up the major theme of Black/White (light and dark and Yin/Yang and all that) since I really like the idea anyway and I feel like it would make the story seem more real and canonical too. Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Sorry if the end sucked, it's late. I'm going to bed now.

_- Medli_


	2. Chapter two

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Chapter two

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Reshiram surged through the sky effortlessly at a great speed, the bright light of the orange sky of sunset causing its coat to shimmer. Save for the sound of the rushing wind, N and White rode in silence. Every now and again, White would scoot forward and reaffirm her grip on his waist, and every time N would not flinch as he usually would when someone touched him, but rather he could feel his face heat up slightly and that warm and tingling sensation run through his body. Why did that happen when she touched him? His thoughts drifted to the subject and the possible explanations every time it happened. Perhaps White had a higher body temperature than the average human...

One end of the horizon had begun to turn purple when they arrived at Nuvema Town. They landed in the wooded area to its south so as not to frighten the general populace. Reshiram touched the ground in a graceful landing, letting out a soft cry as N and White slid off its back.

"Thank you, friend," N said, reaching up to pet its neck. It lowered its head to nuzzle the top of N's, and he laughed a little. White could not help but smile – not only was N truly adorable, as was his laugh, but his love towards Pokémon surely knew no limits. He then removed a Poké Ball from his belt and recalled Reshiram.

They began to walk in silence, but it was short-lived. "What's your mother like, White?" N asked, walking next to her.

"She's very nice. She's always taken care of me, and she does her best all the time. She's very gentle, too," White replied as they continued to move through the woods.

N nodded slowly, thinking about the concept. "Are all mothers like that?"

White paused a moment before she shook her head. It was questions like these that reminded her of how innocent and pure N truly was. His inquisitive and curious nature was that of a child's. Her mind briefly wandered back to his room at his castle – it didn't look dusty, in fact, it looked as if it had been recently used. More than that, the way N acted, it was as if he had never interacted with society before. But could that really be true?

"White?" His voice snapped her back into reality.

She looked up at him, smiling sheepishly. "Oh, sorry, I kind of got lost in thought there for a second. But no, some mothers are actually not not nice at all. Just like how some people aren't nice."

"I see." There was a pause in N's words. "White, I'm not sure if this is proper to ask, but do you have a father?"

Again, White shook her head. "No, he passed away when I was little because he was sick."

"Oh," said N, his tone growing softer. "I'm sorry."

She smiled at him warmly. "It's okay."

This time, he shook his head. "No, that's awful. You must wish you had a father. I wish I had a mother, but she died when she gave birth to me."

White blinked, her heart sinking. His father treated him so, and he didn't even have a mother to turn to? On top of that, N never mentioned once a person he was even remotely close too – did he have any friends, did he have anyone, or was he completely alone? "Oh, that's awful, N," White said quietly. "I'm sorry."

He showed her that smile that made her heart flutter. "No, it's okay, White. There's no need for you to apologize. Besides," he continued, turning his head back to the path in front of them, "even though I didn't have my mother, lots of Pokémon that I played and spent time together with. And fath... and, well, yes," N stammered as his smile faded, sounding unsure – something White hadn't ever heard in his usual confident voice. "I was never lonely. The Pokémon would visit me all the time. Especially Zoroark... we've been friends for as long as I can remember."

"That's really cool," she said honestly. "I've only known my Pokémon for at most... a few months, I guess." Before he could reply, she pointed forward. "Oh, look! You can see the town now past those trees."

N stepped forward a little quicker, eagerly looking on ahead. "Which house is yours?"

"It's the one in the middle," White said, pointing to her domicile. Her face flushed a little as she continued, "It's, um... it's very small. It's nothing like what you're used to, I guess."

N shook his head. "I like it. I didn't like how big the castle was. It was so boring, too."

White giggled. "Well, there's not much to do here really, either..."

"But you can go outside here!" He said, turning towards her again, his tone taking a sound of excitement. "There's so much to do outside! You could go out and explore!"

White laughed again as she watched him survey his surroundings with a child-like curiosity and inquisitiveness, yet her mind lingered on statement; was N confined to the castle when he lived there? And yet he had mentioned living at the castle all his life, so then... were his recent travels his first experience of the outside world?

"You said the middle house, yes?"

She blinked as he brought her mind back to the present. "Oh, yeah."

The two of them took their steps out of the wooded area and into the clearing and few houses that was Nuvema Town. The early September air was not as warm as one would expect, perhaps partially due to the sea breeze the town enjoyed. The leaves of the trees were showing off their brightest green before the onset of fall, the warm rays of the sun shining down not only upon them, but also on the land as a whole from the cloudless sky.

As the two approached the house, N asked, "So do Cheren and Bianca live here, too?"

The girl nodded. "I don't think they're here now, though."

"Are they... your friends?"

"Yeah. I've known them both since I was little," she replied as they continued their pace.

He pondered on it for a brief moment, and then smiled at her. "So like Zoroark and me."

White returned his smile before knocking at the door twice. "Mom, it's me," she called.

"Oh, White!" A voice answered, accompanied by footsteps rushing towards the door from the inside of the house. The door opened, and in its place stood a woman perhaps a mere inch taller than White, her long hair the same tone as her daughter's. "Oh, I've missed you so much." She stepped forward and hugged her.

White smiled as she returned the embrace. "You too, Mom. Oh, um," she added as her parent stepped back, "this is my friend, N." She looked back at the green-haired boy. "I met him while I was traveling."

N stepped forward, bowing to White's mother. "It is a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." After taking one of her hands, he lightly kissed it before standing upright again.

The woman smiled. "My, how polite. Perhaps you could teach White a thing or two!"

White's face flushed. "M-mom..."

She turned around, heading back into the house, her smile unfading. "Oh, you know I'm only kidding."

Her daughter followed, motioning for her companion to also come inside. Shutting the door and taking off their shoes, they sat at the wooden table in the center of the room with White's mother.

"So how did the two of you meet? Are you collecting gym badges too, N?"

The boy shook his head. "Well, I –" And then he stopped. He was no longer traveling to secure the power of Reshiram, nor to face White in battle, nor to defeat the champion – he was traveling to see the world, with White. But would it be okay to just say that? White hadn't mentioned it yet. "Well, um," he stammered.

"N and I have actually bumped into each other a few times while we traveled," White said. "N is just exploring the world. And now that I have all the badges, I think that's what I want to do, too, so we've decided to go together."

"Well I think that's great," her mother replied. "It's always best to have a friend with you anyway. Especially one as handsome as you, N. Careful White doesn't get too big of a crush on you, now."

"M-mom!" White exclaimed, her face burning.

She laughed. "Do you want to show N around?"

The girl nodded as she stood up and pushed in her chair.

N rose to his feet as well. "I want to see your room," he said to his friend quietly, yet not without a feeling of excitement.

White smiled at him. "Okay. It's up here." She made her way to the stairs in the corner of the room, N close behind her. As they emerged at the top, White sighed contentedly as she sat on her familiar bed. "It's been a while since I was here. Though it feels like even longer than it has been, I think." As N stepped into the room's center, his eyes silently scanning it, she added a bit abashedly, "My room's not nearly as cool as yours."

His eyes quickly focused on her. "Oh, I'll be sure to turn the heat up the next time we're in there, then."

White could not help but laugh, but ceased as swiftly as she could so as not to make him feel awkward. "Oh, no, it's an expression. Your room wasn't literally cool, but it means like, I thought it was neat."

N smiled at her. "Oh, I'm glad then," he said with a child's enthusiasm. "I think your room is cool, too. It's very cozy."

She giggled a little as she fell back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. There was a brief silence, save for N's footsteps, before she spoke. "So... where do you want to go after this?"

The bed made little noise as N laid his back on it as well, the back of his hand barely grazing that of White's. Nevertheless, she jumped a bit as her face flushed, her eyes glancing at the boy laying in bed next to her.

N pondered the question, his eyes on the ceiling and his heart rate normal, unlike that of the girl beside him. "I don't really have anywhere specific that I wanted to go. There's much of Unova I've yet to see. I just want to keep exploring. Is that all right with you?" He turned his head to face her at his question, but he continued speaking without a reply upon seeing her face. "White, are you feeling okay?" He asked hurriedly. "You look as though you have a fever."

Quickly, White shook her head. "I'm fine, thank you though." She averted his eyes, instead directing her gaze at the ceiling again. "Of course that's all right with me," she added without hesitation, striving for a subject change. "Do you want to just spend a night here then, and then decide where to go tomorrow?"

"Oh, I don't want to impose on you or your mother."

"It's not an imposition at all. Mom seems to really like you already anyhow." She gave a  
small laugh.

Again, N took a moment to contemplate before responding. "Well, both of us should rest. If you're sure it's alright, I'd be honored to stay."

She smiled as she faced him once more, her cheeks still a hint of pink. "We're traveling partners now. Of course you can stay at my house."

The former prince returned the smile. After a short time of passing, their eyes broke away from each other, moving back to the ceiling, both of them silent – not because they were lost in thought, but because the previously fought off exhaustion was beginning to set in. It had been an emotionally trying day for the two.

Fatigue's chains were broken, however, when the sound of flapping wings was heard close to the open window. N swiftly turned his attention to it, catching a glimpse of the cause. "Oh, you have Pidove living around here?"

White stretched a bit as she replied, as the comfy, familiar bed encouraged her weariness. "Yeah, lots of them. Since not a lot of people live here really, there's actually a lot of wild Pokémon."

N sat up so as to get a better view out the window. "That's so great. This is such a nice place to live," he said, his voice lacking any of the tiredness which worn at him.

White watched him stare out the window, his eyes swimming in curiosity and excitement. Despite her body's protests, she could not help but to ask, "Would you like to walk around a little?"

He looked back at her, nodding eagerly. "I would love to." Without delay he stood and wordlessly offered his hand to her.

White could feel the heat rise to her face again as she gingerly placed her palm on his, and he politely helped her up, his hold gentle and warm. The feeling lasted for a just a fleeting moment before their hands separated again, and the pair made their way down the stairs.

"I'm going to show N around town. We'll be back later," White said to her mother as she slipped on her boots.

"Okay then. I'll have dinner ready for you."

White opened the door, and stepped outside, N beside her. "Okay, thank you!" She and N waved as the door shut behind them.

Immediately, White began walking to the west, towards another wooded area. "This way. I'll show you the best place around here," she said, her head turned back at her friend.

N sped up a bit to keep her pace, until they were walking nearly side by side again.

"I used to come here all time when I just felt like relaxing," White continued as they moved deeper into the woods. The sky, by now, was half orange and half a dark blue, with a purple in the middle to divide and bring it together. The sun would soon be completely set and the night would settle in.

Before N could respond, they came to a small clearing. Still completely shaded by the leaves of the tall trees around it, the open area was completely bare, save for a large patch of flowers which situated itself between two trees. White sat down, her back against one of the trees. "It's not much, but I always liked it. If you're quiet, you can hear the water rushing, too, since it's not that far off." She paused as N gave no reply, looking around. "It's, um – I just know you like Pokémon, and there are lots of them that come here, and, yeah..."

The boy smiled at her. "No, I quite like it!" He sat down across from her. "I didn't get to do this at the castle." Looking above them and at the roof of leaves, he added, "I've always wanted a place to be able to just sit and relax and enjoy what's around me. But I couldn't really do that while I was on my journey. I was on a mission."

White looked at him. "I'm sure we could find more places like this while we're traveling."

He met her eyes, smiling still, and a flutter arose in her stomach, as it did sometimes when he offered her that smile. Before N could speak, he felt something soft and furry touch his wrist. "Oh, hello there," he said calmly as a Patrat sniffed him, rubbing him a bit. The two humans watched it a moment, before N reached his other hand over. "Is it okay if I pet you?"

The wild Pokémon leaned into his gentle touch. For a while, neither of them said anything; the Patrat looked back into the woods and cried, which was quickly answered by one of its brethren. Steadily it made its way to White, who giggled as she began petting it.

And then it was silent again for what may have been minutes or years, as the only ones measuring the time were the receding day and the oncoming night.

"White," N said both softly and suddenly. The one word, though spoken with his usual tone, seemed to carry a certain weight that made their atmosphere heavy. It made the short silences between their voices deafening.

Her eyes fixated on his face. "Yes?"

He did not meet her gaze, instead staring at the Patrat he continued to mindlessly pet. "Would... would you consider us to be friends?"

A momentary yet sempiternal silence passed. It was in this silence that White leaned forward a tad, placing one of her hands gingerly upon one of N's.

N blinked, surprised not only at her touch, but more so at the somersault his stomach seemed to do in response. Before White could make her verbal reply, the two quickly looked to the Patrat as they began to cry to each other. Without warning, they dashed into the trees.

"What's –" White began, but stopped as her breath caught in her throat as N rapidly stood, pulling her up by her wrists with his ever unfailing tenderness, his hands proceeding to swiftly move to her shoulders protectively, looking in the opposite direction from which the Patrat ran. It was a not even a second before a shadow gathered and took shape of a human – a human dressed in black clothes with white hair. A member of the Shadow Triad.

As N stepped forward to put himself between White and the man, he spoke. "Peace, Your Highness. I come not to bring harm to either you or the girl, but to deliver a message." 

"I am no longer to be called by that title," N said, his voice taking a tone White had not heard before; it was still soft, but yet not gentle or warm. "Ghetsis has said himself that I am no longer his son. I am no longer the king of Team Plasma."

"It is on that matter which I come to speak with you. The Shadow Triad has freed Ghetsis from his imprisonment. We are going to reform Team Plasma, and he wishes for you to return as well."

N shook his head. "Team Plasma is behind me. I... Ghetsis was the true leader after all. And I am no longer his son."

The man took a breath. "The lord would seek it understood that should you not come willingly, he will seek you and take you by force. He claims that despite his words, you are his son and you are to do as told."

N was silent. White's eyes locked onto him, he met them for a fleeting moment before turning his gaze to the ground. He couldn't go back – but White, White, he couldn't put her in danger, he couldn't... "I –"

"He's not going back," White shot in, stepping forward so that she was beside N.

The dark eyes of the man moved to her. "You understand that you are putting yourself in danger by traveling with him, yes?"

"I do." She paused in her words, taking one of N's hands into her own. "But N is my friend."

N's stomach did its mysterious somersault once more, and again his face felt hot.

The man stepped back. "Very well. I shall inform Lord Ghetsis of your decision." Without another word, he vanished as a shadow.

"White, I cannot put you in danger," N said as he turned his head towards her.

She met his eyes, smiling. "This is what friends are for. I – I want to travel with you, N. I don't want you to go back and I know you don't either. No matter what danger it is, I'm going to stay with you. Besides – between the both of us, we could work through anything."

N closed his eyes, contemplating her words. "...Okay," he finally said.

And then it was silent again, with nothing but the two of them standing in the darkness that was now complete night, their hands connecting them.

White's eyes moved to the ground, the familiar heat beginning to singe her cheeks as a fluttery feeling danced her stomach. Why did she have to get this why around him sometimes? They were just friends, so why did she have to get like this?

N opened his eyes, breaking himself from his silent thoughts. He looked down at White, who was perhaps a little less than a head shorter than he, and then his eyes drifted to their hands, still held. Was this a sign of friendship? He thought back on his journey; the only people he had seen holding hands were those that looked to be mates, but maybe it was a sign of friendship, too? In that case – what else had he seen friends do? Since he did not express his appreciation of her words verbally, he wanted to somehow let her know that her words moved him...

And so he stepped forward and he put his arms around her waist, pulling her into a hug. White's body instantly froze, her breath catching in her throat.

"Oh, I'm sorry," N said quickly, pulling away. "I thought that's what friends did when they wanted to show appreciation for something. I didn't mean to startle you."

White shook her head, speaking swiftly. "No, no, it's okay. I... was just surprised." Sans hesitation, she stepped forward and hugged him, a motion which he steadily returned. The pair stood in an unbroken silence, which was again for an unmeasurable amount of time. Her heart raced as his nearly stopped - why was it doing this, why was he so nervous?

Finally, her soft voice spoke again. "It's getting dark. We should go back," she said slowly.

He stepped back from her in compliance. After a moment, he said, "Thank you... for what you said. I... really appreciate that. I'm... glad that you're my friend, White."

Even though his words intended good, White could feel her heart sink the moment he said friends. Why, why? Why must she feel for him like that? It was N, innocent as a child who thinks of her as nothing but just a friend. So why, why...

Yet she smiled. Despite the sadness there was also happiness: even if she was just a friend, that was a great feeling. "You too, N," she said with full honesty. There was a lingering moment in which they looked at each other, his emeralds and her sapphires. And then White stepped forward, her tone cheery and excited. "Okay, let's go! I bet my mom has something really nice cooked by now."

N smiled at her, stepping up to her side. "Okay!"

She giggled a little, enjoying his smile as much as any other time. The two of them walked back to White's house, barely an inch away from each other. As they went, the sun took its rest for the day, and stars began to speckle the sky.

"Oh, look," N said as they came out of the woods and into the town, taking note of the lights in the sky. Continuing to stare up at them, he asked, "Do you like to look at the stars, White?"

The girl nodded, looking up at them as well. "Yeah. It's one of my favorite things about night time. I like the night a lot better than the day."

His eyes shifted to her. "Really?"

"Yeah," she replied, still fixated on the sky. "I think it's very peaceful."

N nodded once as his head turned back to the stars. "I see what you mean." He paused. "I always – especially when I was younger, I thought the night was scary." Again, there was a moment in which he did not speak, turning his attention back to her. The starlight now reflecting in her eyes added to them a sparkling affect; they truly looking as though they were glittering sapphires. "Somehow, though, it doesn't seem as scary with you."

White moved her eyes from the stars and onto N, meeting his gaze. She smiled at his words, and the expression was quickly returned. "I'm glad." A cool wind shifted in, and White instinctively rubbed her bare arms, shuddering a bit. "Let's get inside."

And so they walked to the house. After eating, there was a short exchange of good-nights before the two promptly went to sleep; the day had been long and trying, and tomorrow they would start on a new leg of their journey – a journey with a different purpose than those of their original ones, but more importantly, it was a journey that the two of them would take together.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Chapter two end.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: Blahh I don't really like the ending cuz I did most of it at like midnight when I was super tired but but blah whatever I'll just edit it some other time, I'm just really excited to get this story going and finish it. I really love writing about the two of them and I just hope that it's enjoying to read as much as it is to write. Reviews always appreciated, and thanks for reading!

_- Medli_


	3. Chapter three

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Chapter three

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The early-waking Pidove announced the arrival of morning in a series of chirps. The sky, having been purple on its eastern edge for quite some time, was now beginning to turn a bright yellow at its horizon with the rising of a bright, glowing semi-circle.

With the rise of the sun came the rise of a boy, who turned over and groaned a little once before his eyes blinked once, twice, opening slowly. The couch was comfy as a bed, as far as couch beds go, and the blanket he had been provided was warm and soft. He stretched and sat up, the blanket rolling down his torso and piling onto his lap.

His arms falling back to his sides, he swung his legs over the couch and yawned. He glanced at the stairs – was White up yet? What time did she usually wake up?

He shifted his gaze to a door as it creaked open and White's mother stepped out. "Oh, N, you're a morning person as well? It's nice to have someone up at this time beside myself." She gave a soft laugh. "Did you sleep well?"

N nodded. "Yes, I did. Thank you very much for letting me stay."

She smiled. "It was my pleasure."

N's gaze shifted back to the stairs. Having noticed this, White's mother said, "White should be up fairly soon, probably within the next two hours. She tends to sleep in a bit, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you woke her, especially if you two plan on traveling today."

Again, he nodded. "I see. Thank you." N stood from the couch and turned his attention to the window, freezing as he noticed it: outside at the horizon was the half-circle of the morning sun, a glowing orange, staining the sky around it its own color and a hint of red. Its shimmering light speckled and splintered its reflection on the ocean. "Oh, that's so beautiful," he said, not turning his eyes to face the woman.

She turned back to face him. "Hm? Oh, the sunrise? Yes, I think so too. It's a shame White's never up early enough to see it."

Quickly, N looked at her. "You mean she never gets to see this?" He asked, sounding almost appalled.

White's mother had begun to shake her head, but before she could give a verbal response N was swiftly climbing the stairs. Without thinking twice, he opened the door to White's room and made his way inside.

"White, White, White," he chanted excitedly as he walked over to her bed. He called her name again, softer, placing a hand on her shoulder and gently shaking it.

He stared at her as her eyes began to flutter open. Her hair, normally in its high ponytail, was down and flowed along much of the bed, partially obscuring her face as a few strands fell over it. It was soft-looking; it reminded him of the fluff on an Whimsicott. He thought it was quite cute.

White mumbled something unintelligible as her vision came into focus. As the world became clear, at the center of it all was N. The morning light which beamed through her window landed directly on him, causing him to seemingly glow in comparison to his surroundings.

"Good morning, White," he said cheerily, smiling at her. "You have to come with me, there's something you have to see!"

The girl moaned lightly; despite his coherency, this early morning made nearly everything seem incomprehensible. She glanced at a clock on her wall – it was quarter past six. "But N, it's so _early_..."

Gently, he took her hand. "You won't regret it."

It was either his words or the warmth and kindness his hold had that convinced her, or maybe it was both. "Okay..." she said, still slightly groggy. Steadily, she stood up from her bed and stretched a bit.

N was already at the staircase. "Let's go!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" She laughed as she followed him down.

As the two hurried through the main room and towards the exit, White's mother called to her. "Oh, good morning, White."

"Good morning, Mom," her daughter replied as N made his way out the door. "Be right back!"

She followed her friend who swiftly made his way to the edge of town, where a only a railing fence stopped one from falling off and into the ocean. "Look," he said, pointing to the horizon.

White stepped next to him, placing her hands on the rail. The sun continued to rise, dying the sky around it a light orange. "Oh, that's so beautiful," she said.

N shifted his eyes to her. "Right?"

The girl looked at him after he spoke, and instantly her morning weariness vanished, lost within the butterflies that now fluttered in her stomach, as her heart rate increased to double time. She felt this way around him from time to time – but now was one of those few times in which she was completely captivated between his honest and pure and kind smile and the emeralds that were his eyes, sparkling in the morning light.

He blinked and his smile faded. "White?"

"Oh, yeah, r-right," she quickly stammered. She tore her eyes away from him and back to the horizon. "Thank you for showing this to me."

He, too, returned his gaze to the sunrise. "It was my pleasure. I'm sorry to have woken you, but your mother said you're usually asleep at this time and didn't get to see this..."

White giggled, and N couldn't help but smile. She was so cute. "No, thank you," she said. "I'm glad you did."

And then the two stood in silence for a bit, their eyes fixated on the meeting of the water and the sky, of the crossroads between the sun's arrival and the moon's departure.

Finally, White spoke. "Hey, N... do you have any idea where you want to go today? Where we should start traveling?"

"No... not really," he replied. "I tried thinking about it last night, but I just couldn't make a decision. Did you have something in mind?"

White shook her head. "Honestly, I was too tired to think last night."

And so there was another silence in which the two simply watched the sunrise.

"Oh! I have an idea," N said suddenly, turning to face her. She turned her head, looking up at him. "We should go to Accumula Town."

"Accumula Town? But I thought you wanted to go see places you hadn't been to before and explore?" White questioned.

"That's true. But..." The former prince paused, thinking of how to word his thoughts. "When I was traveling before... I wasn't thinking too much about the world around me, except for seeing how Pokémon lived among people. The only thing I cared about was working towards being able to completely liberate them from people. Especially after I met you, I stopped paying attention to the world around me. The only thing I could focus on was... was becoming the hero chosen by Reshiram in order fulfill my ideals."

White nodded slowly as he spoke. After he finished, she said, "I know what you mean. I feel the same way. I just went from gym to gym as fast as I could, trying to achieve my own goals and catch up to – well, yeah. Especially after – especially after what you told me that time on the Ferris wheel in Nimbasa. That you were going to surpass the champion."

The pair stood in a silence for what may have been minutes or may have been hours.

"I was thinking, perhaps," said N, breaking the solitude, "that maybe we could travel through all of Unova, even the areas we have been to before." He paused. "Because this time, we could see them together."

She smiled at him. "I would love that."

He couldn't help but return her smile; it had this enigmatic power, similar to the one that made his stomach do somersaults. He continued to stare at her as the breeze picked up a little, blowing her free-flowing hair to the side, unsuppressed by a hat or hair tie. Her eyes were as blue as the ocean before them and her smile was cuter than anything he'd ever seen. His smile faded as he wondered – did her prettiness have something to do with why he would sometimes get nervous around her?

White's voice – something he thought equally cute and beautiful, as he found it had a sort of broke him from his trance. "N, is everything okay?"

He nodded, his smile returning. "You're just very pretty, White."

Instantly, her face flushed a deep red. "Wh, wha," she stammered incoherently, her body freezing up.

"Oh, I'm sorry," N said quickly. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

She shook her head, the red fading into a pink. "N-no, thank you, I – I appreciate it, I just... I just didn't expect you to say that I guess."

There was a pause of silence, during which N took a last look at the beach, which made him unable to see the girl's face heat up at his next words. "It's true, though." He paused. "But we should probably depart soon. Would you like to go back to your house?"

White nodded, trying to shake the fluttery feeling in her stomach. "Yeah."

And so the two walked back to the house, eager to take their first steps on their new travels together. After eating an insisted breakfast and promising to "visit often," the pair left.

"Let's walk, since it's so close," White said as they made their way towards route one.

Her friend nodded. "I like walking. And it's so beautiful out, too." He briefly looked up at the sky. "I love the daytime."

She smiled at him as their atmosphere fell silent, save for the sound of their footsteps on the dirt path. "Oh, N... how is Zoroark, and everyone else? I know you said you were going to talk to them before you went to bed last night," White asked after a few moments, a touch of worry in her voice.

"They are well. I told them that you're a very good person and that they shouldn't be mad at you, if you were worried about that. They want to be friends with the Pokémon you're traveling with, too."

"That's good. I'm sure they could all be great friends."

N smiled widely at her. "Just like –" and then he stopped as the dirt path began to deteriorate, instead being replaced by stone. "Oh, we're here!"

White looked around at the few buildings that made up the small yet welcoming town. "It feels like it's been so long." Her marvel stopped, however, when something caught her eyes and she froze in place. "N, look," she said quickly, tugging on one of his sleeves.

The boy looked at her and then to where she was staring. There, by the benches, where Ghetsis had given one of his speeches what seemed like decades ago, stood a man. He was cloaked in hooded white and blue garbs, the front of it emblazoned with a large _P._

"Team Plasma? Here? But why –"

He stopped mid-sentence as the grunt moved and White quickly pulled him, still holding his sleeve. "Hide," she said, moving them both behind some bushes. As quietly as they could, the pulled back some of the leaves and peered towards the grunt. "They must be looking for us," White said softly.

N continued to eye him as he turned around, heading in the direction opposite of him and White. "I can't believe he could have gotten out of prison and reformed even part of Team Plasma that quickly... " Slowly, he looked at his friend, who continued to stare at the grunts. "White," he began, lightly touching her shoulder. "I –"

Swift as a Ninjask, White placed a single finger on his mouth. "No," she said as his face heated up. "We're going to keep traveling together. We made a promise."

Seconds passed, and he simply blinked once. "How... how did you know...?"

She smiled. "I just had a feeling."

Despite his lingering confusion, N returned her smile. After a moment, he looked back through the bushes. The grunt was gone. "We should leave here quickly," he said as he stood.

White nodded as she joined him and the two stepped out back onto the path from the bushes. "Let's have Braviary take us somewhere so we're less likely to be seen."

"That's a good idea."

White pushed the button in the middle of the Poké Ball and it increased in size. "Where do you think we should go?"

"We should head somewhere away from the castle and away from here, because I think Team Plasma is assuming we are still in or close to Nuvema Town." N paused, his eyes drifting to the side. "But... Ghetsis is only going to hurt more people and use Team Plasma for his own selfish reasons. I... I need to go talk to him..."

"You can't," White quickly replied. "He'll... he'll hurt you, he'll use you again!"

N shook his head. "I have to. Someone has to stop him before he becomes too powerful, I'm sure he's planning something!"

"Then let me come with you, we'll stop him together!" White exclaimed, her voice rising.

"White, I can't do that," N said, his voice filled with concern. "If he truly wants to use me again, he won't hurt me, but you... he'll..." He stopped, imagining the possibilities – Ghetsis was ruthless when angered, and White was the reason he was sent to jail in the first place, the reason his plans were ruined...

White looked him dead in the eye, her eyes filled with determination, her voice devoid of hesitation. "I'm not leaving you to deal with this on your own! We're in this together!"

N opened his mouth to reply, but found himself at a loss for words. Her eyes froze him into place, shining with such strong feeling...

"I've found them! Get over here!"

A voice shouted and pierced the air from behind them, and the pair whipped their heads in its direction. A Plasma grunt ran toward them, stopping a few yards away. He motioned with his hand at something from where they had been facing before – the grunt they had seen earlier now raced in their direction, effectively surrounding the two.

"We're trapped," White said hurriedly.

N protectively took her by wrist with an incredible speed, his eyes locked on one of the grunts. "What is it that you want?"

"We were told to inform the Shadow Triad as soon as we saw you so they could come and apprehend you," the man said as he drew a Poké Ball from beneath his robes. "But imagine if we were to bring you to Ghetsis ourselves – why, we would become sages!"

White put her back to N's, facing the other grunt who also took out a Poké Ball. "Let's take care of these two and get out of here," she said quietly.

N lightly squeezed her arm in response, taking a Poké Ball off his belt with his free hand.

"I see you are both unwilling to come quietly," said the grunt which faced N. "Have at you, then!" He tossed his ball, releasing a Seismitoad.

N released his partner simultaneously. "Go, Klinklang!" He could feel White toss out her Poké Ball and hear the cry of her Braviary, faced with the other grunt's Sigilyph.

The grunts both made their moves first – a Scald from the Seismitoad and a Psychic from the Sigilyph. White took N's other hand so that they stood with their backs parallel and their hands locked.

Both attacks were hits, but both Braviary and Klinklang were strong; stronger than the Pokémon of the grunts.

"Braviary, I know you can take it out in one shot! Hit it with full power! Brave Bird!"

"Klinklang, you can do it too! Use Flash Cannon!"

The bird Pokémon soared forward as Klinklang let loose a bright laser, landing synchronized hits on their opponents. Sigilyph and Seismitoad quickly fell to the ground.

"Y-you fool!" One grunt said as he recalled his Sigilyph. "This is His Highness and the one who defeated Lord Ghetsis! Did you seriously think we could defeat them?"

"Shut up and get in contact with the Triad!" The other barked back.

N hastily withdrew Klinklang, thanking him. He quickly turned to White. "Let's go!"

Hurriedly, White leapt onto the back of her Braviary, motioning for N to follow. "Can you fly?" She asked, petting its neck.

Braviary let out a cry as it spread its wings, taking off into the air. N steadily put his arms around the waist of his friend.

White looked back at N. "Braviary is strong, but he doesn't have the best defenses. Even though he stayed strong, I think he took a bad hit from that psychic and I don't want to push him. How far do you think we need to go?"

N pondered the question for a few moments. "Everywhere close by is too populated to release Reshiram or Zekrom. And we need to let Braviary and Klinklang get to a Pokémon Center..." He paused. "Let's go to Striaton City. It's close enough that we might be able to get some information on Team Plasma if they're lurking about but far enough that we'll be safe. Those two have no idea where we're going anyway."

White nodded and directed Braviary north. The wind was with them and the trip did not take long thanks to the bird Pokémon incredible speed; it was not long before the two were landing in front of the Pokémon Center of Striaton City. Steadily, they swung their legs over and got off.

White stepped forward and put her arms around her Pokémon's feathered neck. "Thanks for everything, Braviary. You've been a great friend." It cawed once before its trainer stepped back and recalled it.

N smiled at her. "Braviary seems so fond of you."

She laughed a little, petting the Poké Ball. "Well I'm very fond of Braviary. He's helped me through a lot of tight situations and he's always strong."

There was a moment of silence before N sighed slightly. "I just wish that all people could have the relationship that you have with your Pokémon." His eyes drifted to his belt, to the Poké Ball which contained Reshiram. "I thought that could never happen... I thought Pokémon and humans had to be separated." He looked back to his friend. "But then I met you..."

White could feel warmth rising to her face. Before she could reply, a woman, perhaps in her twenties, approached the two of them. "Hello."

The pair looked at her as White spoke. "Um, hello."

"N and... White, correct?"

The former prince took a step forward, placing one of his hands on White's shoulder. "May I ask how you know our names?"

The woman looked around once hurriedly before responding. "I just left Team Plasma; I'm here visiting my house one last time before I leave to where my relatives are in Sinnoh. Listen – Ghetsis has everyone he can looking for you, mostly in this area. If you can't fly somewhere farther away, you should go to Nacrene City. Since we tried to steal the skull from the museum, they've really paid close attention as to who goes in and out – Team Plasma will have trouble getting in there and looking for you."

"Why are you helping us?" White asked. "How do we know you're telling the truth?"

"Ghetsis hasn't given up gaining control of all Pokémon. He's making a new plan – I didn't hear too much of it, all I know is that he plans on capturing the power of another legendary Pokémon. Once I learned that he was just using you, his own son, as a tool... I couldn't work with him anymore."

"This could still be a trap," White said.

"Look," she said as she took a Poké Ball from inside her bag. A beam of light shot out from it and took form into a Liepard. "Pokémon never lie... right, Your Highness?" She asked, her eyes on N.

The boy knelt down and put one hand gently on the head of the cat-like Pokémon. "Liepard... is she telling the truth?"

It let out a soft cry in reply before it stepped towards its trainer and rubbed against her leg.

N stood up, looking to his friend. "We can believe this woman." He turned back to her, giving a small bow. "Thank you. We're in your debt."

She recalled her Liepard. "Don't thank me. I'm glad I could at least do something for you before I left. That man... he can't be in power over Team Plasma. I should've known once I saw the way he treated you, but..."

N shook his head. "Your help is greatly appreciated." His eyes shifted back to White. "We should heal Braviary and Klinklang and get going."

The trainer nodded, waving once to the former grunt as she walked off. "But Team Plasma might be headed this way, and it's going to take a little while to heal them, especially since there's probably a line in the Center, too..."

N contemplated her statement for a moment. "You're right. We can't afford to be caught and followed..." He looked down at his Poké Ball which contained Klinklang. "I'm sorry, Klinklang, I'll get you healed as soon as we get to Nacrene."

"Can we walk?" White asked. "We can't take out Zekrom or Reshiram around here and I don't want to ask Braviary again."

N nodded. "Yes. Braviary has already done enough for us."

And so the two began to walk westward, toward route three. "Nacrene City..." White said as they exited the city boundaries. "Maybe we can see if Lenora knows anything. I know she's been trying to keep tabs on Team Plasma since the museum incident."

"That's a good idea." N paused. "But if Ghetsis is planning on using the power of another legendary Pokémon... I don't know how much time we have."

"What Pokémon could he possibly be thinking of using, anyway?"

"When he first told me of Reshiram and Zekrom and how I could use their powers to fulfill my ideals, he never mentioned any other Pokémon in Unova that had that kind of power," N explained. "But since Team Plasma is still here, I can only imagine that Ghetsis is still in Unova." Again, he paused. "Reshiram and Zekrom... I remember reading in a book when I first learned about them that there is a third dragon which makes them a trio, and the keep a delicate balance. I believe its name was Kyurem... I thought perhaps that I could borrow Kyurem's power to fulfill my ideals, but there wasn't any information on it that I could find. If it is as powerful as Reshiram and Zekrom and also in Unova, I think it's very possible that Ghetsis could be seeking a way to harness its power."

"But if that's true," White said, "we should have plenty of time to track him down. It's not easy to figure out how to capture of the power of something so strong, right?"

N shook his head. "That's true, but... I can only imagine the amount of things he was doing without my knowing. He may have had this as a backup plan all along in case I failed."

White offered no response at first, his words getting her thinking about Ghetsis and what the woman had said about how he treated him; had he always treated his son like that? And all those things he said to him at the top of the castle, all those lies... "N," she finally said, her voice softer.

N looked over at her, sensing the change of emotion in her voice. "Yes? What is it, White?" Her head was turned down, the visor of her hat covering her eyes.

The girl discontinued her pace, taking the wrist of her companion with a feather-light touch. He, too, stopped, adding another tone of concern to his speech. "White?"

She looked up and met his eyes, filled with disquiet. "You know that everything Ghetsis told you after our battle isn't true, right?"

And then there was silence, the former prince giving her no reply. His only movement was in his eyes, which moved away from his friend, unable to meet her gaze.

"N," White began, but was cut off.

"It _is_ true, though, White," N said as he took a step back from her, causing her to release the grip she had on his arm. "I wasn't raised like a normal human. I was raised alongside Pokémon. Since Ghetsis couldn't become a hero to be chosen by Reshiram, I was raised just for that purpose, and in the end, I – I couldn't even do that. I couldn't fulfill my ideals, I can't even understand Pokémon even though I've been with them all my life." Finally, he met her eyes again. "I'm not human like you are, White."

She replied without delay or hesitation. "N, you're one of the most human people I know. Ghetsis said that you didn't have a heart, but – you wanted me to be your friend, didn't you? You were happy when I said you were my friend, weren't you?" The girl stepped towards him. "N, you offered to go back to Team Plasma just to ensure that I wasn't hurt! That's one of the most selfless and caring things I've ever seen anyone do, and you can't be that selfless or caring for other humans if you're not human yourself!"

For a moment he faltered, unable to speak. Her words, her eyes – they had an emotion so strong that it froze him in place. "White –"

He didn't have any idea where he was going with that statement, but luckily for him he didn't have to finish it; White had grabbed his wrist once more and was dashing off the route and behind a group of trees on the side of the route. "Look," she said, nodding in the direction they had been heading before he could say anything.

As they hid themselves behind two trees and a group of bushes, N peered out at where she had directed. There, accompanied by two grunts, was a sage of Team Plasma, attempting to gain entrance into Nacrene City.

"A sage?" N questioned quietly.

White shifted some of the leaves to get a better view and they rustled softly. "What could they be doing here? Oh! Maybe we could follow them and figure out where they're hiding out and what they're doing!"

N shook his head. "I'm sure he must be at the castle. It's the perfect base of operations. And if we just rush in there without any idea of what we're getting into... it could be very dangerous."

She flashed him a smile. It was good to have him around; he always gave thought before he acted. Unlike her, jumping headlong into things. "Yeah."

Words were being spoken between the sage and the guard to the city, but the distance between them and the two crouched behind the bushes made the conversation inaudible. It was not long before the sage turned around and began walking off with the two grunts, right past both N and White. It was after they rounded the corner that N stood and offered his hand to the girl, who gladly obliged and stood. Wordlessly the two approached the entrance, stopping as the guard held his hand out to them. "What business do you two have here?"

"I'm White, a trainer," began the girl. "I defeated Lenora and she even gave me the Dark Orb and said I was welcome here anytime. And this," she said, motioning to N, "is my friend."

"Oh, yes, I heard about you from Lenora... of course, you two can go in," he said as he stepped aside.

The two walked through the gate and into the city, and White turned right and headed into its upper portion. "Let's head to the museum."

N nodded and followed suit. The museum was the town's feature attraction and stood out. His mind began to wander to the last time he had been here – the last thing he did before he left was battle White. It seemed like it was years ago, yet their first meeting, back in Accumula Town, seemed even farther. Since they had met, all the had done was battle. He glanced at her, ponytail sashaying behind her as she walked. Now that they were traveling together, not constantly battling – he had learned so much more about her, seen so much more of her, even in this short time – he sighed and shut his eyes. He liked every bit of her, and the more he learned about her, the more nervous he was seeming to become at her very presence and the harder his stomachs did somersaults when she smiled. What was wrong with him?

"N?" White said, breaking him from his trance. He stopped his pace and opened his eyes, only to be met with her caring face. "N, is everything okay?"

The boy nodded. "Yes, thank you for your concern." He paused and she opened her mouth to reply, but he continued. "I was just thinking back to when we first met."

"Oh, okay." White smiled. "That... that feels like it was forever ago, doesn't it?"

"It does feel like it was a very long time ago."

She giggled a little. "That was one of my first battles. I was a little nervous."

N could not help but return her smile. "If you were, you didn't seem like it." Again, he paused. "And then we battled for a second time here," he said as his eyes drifted to the museum entrance.

"Yeah. I hadn't expected to see you again so soon," White replied. "But I was happy. I... I was looking forward to seeing you again. To learning more about you, and the voices you could hear from Pokémon..."

There was a long silence between them.

"I'm very happy that we were able to become friends despite our fates, White."

The pinkness arose in her cheeks as sudden as his words slipped from his mouth. "Y-yeah. Me too. Me too, N."

"Also... I wanted to thank you for saying what you did earlier. About not letting me deal with this on my own. I..." He continued, struggling to find the right words for his new emotions, "It... it made me very happy."

Again, she smiled at him, despite the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. "I'm glad." She paused. "I can't wait until this Team Plasma business is over and we can just travel without worrying about anything."

"Neither can I." His smile returned as his mind began to wander. "I can't wait to go all sorts of places."

"Me neither, me neither," White replied excitedly. "I've always wanted to travel!"

He laughed; she was so cute.

"Let's get going. The sooner we take care of this, the sooner we can go where ever we want."

"Right!"

And so the two headed into the museum, their heads filled with the possibilities of the soon-to-be future.

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Chapter three end.

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A/N: Sorry that took ages to get up. I promise to try and work faster, just been a little busier than usual, which is weird. Thanks to all those who are reading and even more so to those reviewing; I always make sure to send replies to signed ones, and of course I really appreciate anonymous ones too. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll try to work as fast as I can to get the next one up! I hope the length almost compensates (both this and the last one were twelve pages), but again I apologize for the longer than anticipated wait. Thanks again for reading!

_- Medli_


	4. Chapter four

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Chapter four

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The inside of the museum was quiet and peaceful, the only sounds being the soft padding of footsteps against the blue carpet. White smiled as she looked around; it looked exactly the same as when she had last visited, of course, since that hadn't been all too long ago despite feeling like ages.

She was about to turn and ask the receptionist where Lenora was, but after a quick glance around the museum she realized there was no need to: the blue afro was hard to miss. She was currently busy, talking quite animatedly to a girl White recognized as a trainer from her gym. She and N walked up, and after hearing their footsteps, the gym leader had her attention on them. "Oh, White! And –" she stopped, looking at N. "What's he doing here?" The girl she had been talking to gave a short wave before scurrying back into the gym.

White spoke as N gave a small bow. "N isn't part of Team Plasma anymore."

"I'm deeply sorry for all the trouble my former subordinates caused you and this museum," N said, still leaning forward. "I'm in your debt for giving White the Dark Orb as well."

Lenora gave White a questioning look, and White nodded, trying to silently convince her of N's benevolence.

"Well," said Lenora, stepping forward, "If White trusts you, then I do too." As she finished, she placed a hand on his shoulder.

N flinched a little at her touch before swiftly stepping back. "Th-thank you," he stammered.

White looked at him with a concerned expression before Lenora summoned her attention again. "Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. But so what brings you two here? I heard about everything from Alder."

"Well," White began, "then you heard about Ghetsis's escape from prison?"

"That I did. Few grunts have been spotted lurking around the city here, too. We're trying to figure out exactly what they're after."

"Oh, well... we just came to figure out if you knew anything about that."

Lenora sighed. "Sadly we don't." She paused. "Well... one of the guards did hear something from a grunt, but there's no telling if it's true or not. Apparently Ghetsis has gone back to the castle, but he's making plans to go to a cave near Lacunosa Town."

At this N spoke up. "The Giant Chasm?"

The gym leader nodded. "Yes, that's what it was called. We've no idea what he seeks to do there though; it could also just be a false lead."

"In the little information I was able to gather, the Giant Chasm is where Kyurem can supposedly be found. Yet it went onto explain that disaster falls upon whoever goes there and that special tools are needed to summon Kyurem himself, which are never specified," N explained.

Lenora brought her hand to her chin thoughtfully. "So you're saying that Ghetsis is attempting to gain Kyurem's power?"

"I think it's a possibility."

There was a moment of silence before White spoke. "I think that N and I should go to the Giant Chasm. Even if it's a false lead, it would be better to find that out then find out later that it was true because we didn't do anything about it."

"Then you should go and get Alder or someone to come with you in case he is there and things do get out of hand," said Lenora.

N shook his head. "There is no time. Ghetsis is a man of action and impulse. If he truly thinks of doing this, then he's probably on the move as we speak. And now that he's a wanted man, he's going to have to act even quicker."

"Then you two have to promise me you'll be careful."

White smiled. "We promise. Don't worry; he's gone done once and he will again." She looked to N. "Especially now that we're together!"

He returned her smile. "Right!"

Lenora laughed heartily. "Well that's good to know! You two are quite cute together, too!"

White's face instantly flushed as she looked back at Lenora. "Ah, I-I didn't mean like, uh..." Her voice trailed off.

N looked at the ladies curiously. "Hm?"

"Oh, my apologies then." Lenora cleared her throat. "Well you two best be off. I'll try and get in contact with you as soon as I can if I find anything out."

"Thank you very much for everything," N said as he gave a small bow.

"Yeah, thank you, Lenora."

"Oh, it was a pleasure to see you two both again. Come back when when this is all sorted out, okay? We can have a proper meeting with none of this Plasma business – we'll go out to dinner, my treat."

White giggled as she and N made their way to the door, waving. "Okay, thank you!"

And so they exited, their pace slowing as they went further from the museum. "Let's go heal Braviary and Klinklang and head for the Giant Chasm, then?" White asked.

"Yes." There was a brief time of silence as they made their way towards the Pokémon Center before N spoke up again. "White, what were you and Lenora talking about when you said you hadn't meant it like that? I... I thought we _were_ traveling together," he finished, sounding almost hurt.

"Oh, N, we are traveling together," White quickly replied. "Lenora just thought, um..." She slowed down her speech, unable to think of how to word her thoughts. "Lenora just thought when I said we were together – she thought I meant like, we were dating," she finally said, her face a hue of pink.

"Oh," N said simply with lack of a better response. He didn't know much about dating, after all. He had read in books that humans engaged in long-term relationships with a single mate, like Pokémon did mostly – but he didn't know exactly what people did when they were dating. When Pokémon would court each other or try to gain a mate, they would often play together, and once they had mated especially, they would spend most of their time together from then on. But humans seemed to spend much time, years even, together "dating" before they would even begin courtship or mating. Apparently some people would also stop dating even if they had been doing it for a long time. Pondering the subject, he asked, "Why do people begin dating?"

White averted his eyes, her face still pink. "Well, um," she began as she searched for words, "Most people start dating because they really like each other, more than they like someone who's just their friend rather than a girlfriend or boyfriend. Usually the boy will ask the girl to be his girlfriend, usually some place special to both of them, but I mean everyone goes about it differently. And then if they both like each other a lot, they're really happy because people usually spend more time together when they're dating and... well, they do, like, coupley stuff, like cuddling and kissing and hand holding and that kind of thing."

N nodded slowly, processing the information. As he traveled by himself, he had seen people hugging and holding hands and even kissing; of course, he had to ask a grunt of Plasma why they were doing that, and the only answer he would receive is that they were dating and it was a sign of affection. Why exchanging your germs and making the other person incapable of breathing was a sign of affection was beyond him, but humans had a lot of bizarre customs. However, he he asked the question that confused him the most: "How do you know you like someone as more than a friend?"

The heat in White's face intensified. Why did he have to be asking her these questions? Why did she have to be so nervous around him? "Well, usually you – you get nervous around them," she said, faltering for a moment. Why, why? He was just so innocent, yet so kind and thoughtful – "Because if you like them that much, then you want them to like you that much, too. And, um... usually you think very highly of them, and admire a lot of things about them." She bit her tongue as her stomach began to flutter –_ why_ did she _have_ to be thinking about him like that? "And, uh, you want to spend a lot, if not all of your time with them. You don't want them to be just your friend, you want them to be more than that."

N asked another question before she could continue. "But isn't that love? Isn't part of love being when you want to spend all your time with somebody?"

"W-well," White stammered, "usually people who like each other as more than friends love each other, or quickly come to once they start dating, since it's easier then to express their feelings. Lots... lots of people don't say how they feel unless they're dating the other person, because they're scared the other person doesn't feel the same way and they don't want to make it hard to just be friends with the other person because they really like, or love them."

N contemplated the information as they walked into the Center. White's sigh broke him out of his thoughts, and he looked around; there was quite the crowd.

"You can leave your Pokémon on the counter," said a trainer who sat on in one of the chairs near the entrance. "Estimated waiting time now I think like ten or fifteen minutes."

The two nodded and gave him their thanks as they walked over to the counter and placed their Poké Balls containing Braviary and Klinklang on it.

"It's... crowded in here," N said to his companion softly. "Could we perhaps wait outside?"

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing." As more people walked in, she made to grab his wrist to as to not be separated, but stopped herself at the last second. "Oh, sorry."

"Hm?" He questioned as the doors slid open and they stepped out. "What for?"

"Well, I didn't want to startle you or anything. I saw how you flinched when Lenora touched you and I didn't want to." She fidgeted slightly with the hem of her shirt, averting his eyes.

"You are quite thoughtful, White," he said, which caused her face to heat up again. He paused before he continued. "I... don't like being touched by people, but you're different, White. I don't mind when you touch me." In reality, he quite liked it; her touch was comforting and warm. But something kept him from saying that. Why did the thought of saying that make him nervous?

White gave him a small smile and his heart skipped a beat. "Well, I'm glad then." She turned her attention to the path to their west out of the city, lined with the old railroad track. "Do you want to walk around a bit while we wait on Braviary and Klinklang?"

He nodded, smiling. The city was not noisy, but it certainly wasn't as quiet as the mostly-wooded path. More importantly than that, though, the city was full of people – he liked being with just White.

And so the two made their way out of the city and onto the abandoned railroad track, trees and bushes lining either side of their path.

"After we settle all this... do you want to just continue the path we've been going and go to Castelia City?" White asked as they went along.

But N was stuck in his thoughts, in a place far from White's voice. More specifically, he was still in the process of going over all White had told him about dating. This fluttering feeling stomach gave him when she smiled, or met his eyes with those swimming oceans of misty blue; was it perhaps nervousness? Did being around White make him nervous? If so, why? Why would he be nervous around his friend? Was it perhaps because of what she just explained, that people who like each other as more than friends are typically nervous around each other? And if that was true – was White also nervous around him, or did only he feel this way? Or maybe he simply felt like this because she was his first and only human friend... And what's more, even if he was able to figure out his own feelings, White's emotions were a completely different realm. How was he supposed to figure out how another person felt? And what if she didn't, what happened then? Not that he even knew how he himself felt yet.

White opened her mouth to speak again, but he spoke before she could. "White, you said that people ask each other to date when they like them as more than friends, right? Well what if the person they like in that way doesn't feel the same way, what happens then? How do you know that they feel the same way before you ask?"

The question caught her off-guard, and her heart paused a moment as the track they walked on ended and their path became more wooded. She should have just dodged the question the first time; how could she have expected his inquisitive nature to lead to anything but more questions? "Well... I mean, N, I'm no expert on this or anything, I've never dated before, but... I think usually you don't know if the other person feels the same way. I think you just ask them taking that risk, and risk being hurt because they don't feel the same way, because you feeling that strongly about them."

N slowly nodded, thinking of what else to ask. Even if White was no expert, she definitely knew more about this than he did.

"But, um, N," she said now, striving for a subject change, "after all this, do you want to keep going the way we have been and go to Castelia City after this, and just go along Unova city by city?"

"Yes, I think that's a good plan," he replied, nodding again. Castelia City... he hadn't spent much time there, not any more than he had needed. He earned Burgh's badge and left. The metropolis was much too noisy and crowded; the multitudes of people bothered him. After that then was... Nimbasa, of course – a city he actually quite liked and didn't get to spend as much time in as he would have like. He must have rode on that Ferris wheel about four times before going on it with White. He just liked everything about it; the mechanics, the view, the quietness. But definitely the best time he had on there was with White – even if it was then he told her he was the king of Team Plasma, that time up there with her was nice – sharing the view and precious moments was much better with another rather than being alone. And then they got off, and he vowed to beat the champion before her... it was a special place indeed. "White," he said, turning to her, "do you remember when we rode the Ferris wheel in Nimbasa together?"

"Of course I do..." She said, her tone taking a sense of remembrance. "Why do you ask?"

"Well... did you like it?"

There was a pause before White spoke, her eyes not meeting his, as she contemplated her response. "I... I was happy when you asked me to go on with you. I had planned to go on anyway, just to enjoy the experience. Even if it was only so we could avoid Team Plasma and you could tell me the truth, I was still happy to be able to go on with someone else rather than being by myself. I was really interested in what you might say, too; I was really interesting in learning more about your goals. But when you told me you were the king of Team Plasma... I was upset at first, because I knew that meant we would have to keep battling because of our different beliefs. Especially when we battled right after that... that time was different, because I knew the truth – I didn't want to fight you, N. I... I wanted to be your friend. And when you said you would stop at nothing to accomplish your dreams and you'd get to the champion before me... I worked harder than I ever imagined to make sure I would get their first, and to keep up with you and see you again. Even if I knew we would have to battle again. But... that led to this, to us just being able to be together and travel and being friends. And even with all this going on, I'm still happy because we're together." Her eyes sank to the ground, her face warm. "I... really do like being around you. So... yes, I did like it, especially now, looking back. It was very special, because that's when everything seriously started." Then she turned her head up, smiling at him. "I don't think I ever really thanked you for taking me, actually. So thank you."

Though N's heart skipped a beat, his speech did not falter. "You're very welcome. I feel the same way. I'm glad you did like it."

There was a pause before White spoke again. "Why, um – why do you ask?"

Before he could even think of a reply, the two both stopped dead in their tracks as a rustle was heard in the bushes. Instinctively and with Persian-like reflexes, he took White's shoulders and protectively pulled her close to himself.

"What's..." White began softly, but she became silent when the bushes rustled again.

"It's probably just a wild Pokémon... I'm sorry if I startled you." Slowly, he let go of her, and stepped towards the bushes once. They rustled again. He heard White take a step forward, but held his hand up to signal for her to stop. N took two more steps before the leaves shifted again; leaning forward over them, he saw nothing. He took one more step, before he heard the loud, high-pitched scream of his companion.

He whipped around and went to make a step towards her but froze – two members of the Shadow Triad held her, one binding her wrists, the other busy recalling a Pokémon – a Watchog – from its hiding place in the bushes where it had been making the noises.

"Let her go!" N said forcefully, taking a Poké Ball from his belt without waiting for a reply. "Let her go!" He said again, his voice quickly rising. Not White, not White, anything but White.

"I'm afraid we can't do that, Your Highness. The Lord has said that you're to come with us as well."

"N, don't! It's got to be a trap!" White exclaimed as she struggled against the binds and the grip one of them had on her.

"We can't guarantee her complete safety if you don't comply," the second member cut in before N could say anything.

"I can take care of myself, N! You can't let them have their way, go and run!"

"White, no, I'm not leaving you!" He tossed his Poké Ball, releasing his most trusted partner – Zoroark. "Let her go," he repeated, stepping forward. "You can even take me instead, just – let her go."

Zoroark, sensing the emotions of its long time friend, bowed onto all fours and growled.

Their attention now on the Pokémon, White swiftly shot her elbow into one of the Shadow Triad's stomach, and he briefly recoiled back, and White made to run forward, but was quickly grabbed by the other member. "Let's get out of here now before we lose both of them. N, if you want to ensure the girl's safety, come to the castle."

"Zoroark, don't let them get away!" N said quickly, and Zoroark bolted forward without hesitation.

The other member grabbed a hold of White as well, and N too ran forward, his hand outstretched. _"White!"_

And before anyone could say any more or do any more, the two members had disappeared into the ground as shadows, taking White with them.

Zoroark landed firmly on the spot they had disappeared, at the end of its swift jumping and clawing attack. It scratched at the ground, growling.

N fell to his knees, hot tears blurring his vision. How could he have let this happen? What did Ghetsis want with her? Whatever it was, it couldn't be good, and he knew what Ghetsis was capable of. White was strong, but when people wouldn't do what Ghetsis wanted – N wiped the tears with his sleeve.

He had to get her.

He stood without reluctance. "Zoroark, come. We've got to go get White."

"Zor," it said, rubbing N's leg.

"I know, but I have to. It's... it's White, Zoroark. And I let this happen. I... I should never have agreed to let her travel with me. Now she's in danger because of it. I've got to go."

Reluctantly, the dark-type nodded before it was recalled into its ball, and its trainer began his sprint to the Pokémon Center. He would have to take Braviary to get there; not only was his Archeops too small to carry him, but Braviary would be much faster. Reshiram would be even faster, but no matter how much he thought about it, there was no place large or secluded enough to call upon it, or enough time to find one.

His mind ran faster than his legs as he made his way into Nacrene City. White, White... his stomach turned over. Why couldn't they have taken him? What if they hurt White, what if... after she had been nothing but kind and accepting to him... he just wanted to hold her again, to feel that warmth and know that she was safe, to see that smile – but wait, was that how friends felt about each other? Or was that – no, no! He had to concentrate everything on just getting to her for now. He attempted to shake the thoughts off as he went into the Center.

Quickly, he made his way up to the counter. "Hello," he said to the nurse, his tone urgent. "My friend and I came in here a bit ago with a Braviary and Klinklang. Are they healed?"

The nurse nodded. "Yes. They're right over there," she said, motioning towards the opposite end of the counter.

"Thank you." He swiftly took the Poké Balls, clipping Klinklang's to his belt and keeping Braviary's in his hand. Not wanting to waste any time, he made his way out to where the railroad tracks began, knowing that Braviary would need space to spread his wings and take off. Hoping it would listen to him, he released the large Pokémon.

"Braviary," he said quickly, looking the Pokémon in the eye, "White's been taken by the Shadow Triad. I need you to take me back to the castle as fast as you can. We have to get to her."

The flying-type cawed loudly, lowering itself a bit so as to let N get on easier. The former prince swiftly complied, swinging one leg over its back and holding on tightly with his hands.

With a few flaps of its wings they were off, rising high into the sky, the wind whipping his hair behind him as they traveled north.

N shut his eyes, and for a brief and fleeting moment he could feel the warmth of her arms around his waist like when they were riding Reshiram to Nuvema Town. He apologized to her mentally – she had told him not to come, but he had to. Like she had said, this was probably a trap, and he was probably walking straight into it – but he had to. He couldn't just leave her alone. He cared about her more than anything in the world, that he was sure of – what he wasn't sure of was if he cared about her more as more than a friend.

N thought about this all while they sped through the sky – this, and praying for her safety.

Even if she was safe, though – perhaps, as she had saved him from his own goals atop the same castle – perhaps this time he could be the one to save her.

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Chapter four end.

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A/N: Whee, finally. Sorry about the huge delay. Again, thanks everyone for the reviews. I reply to every signed one I get to stress the point, but seriously, thank you guys, they mean a lot, especially the more thought out ones (in case you haven't checked your inboxes, I'll make a note here – Nellchan, Celestial Mistress, MaexSketch – your reviews in particular really make me smile). I apologize this chapter isn't quite as long as the previous two (four thousand plus though, not far behind!). Thanks to all the anonymous reviews too of course, to which I cannot reply via email. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

_- Medli_


	5. Chapter five

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Chapter five

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White was still gaining sense of her surroundings as the doors swung open, each noise that resonated along the great walls of the castle sounding far too distant to be of any importance. The world was a dark blur, light pouring into her vision as things, very slowly, became more clear. The grand doors that had opened in front of her came into focus, the bright lights they had previously kept hidden from her causing her to blink several times.

The after effects of the transport provided by the two members of the Triad continued to steadily wear off as White felt herself pulled by her wrists, still bound. The yanking felt almost imaginary, as she still lacked some feeling in her body. Did they seriously get around like that? Everything was spinning, she felt dizzy... she could faintly feel her body on a carpeted floor – not hard as if she had been thrown or hit, but placed there.

Sounds faded in and out of her mind as if someone was tuning a radio inside her head. The voices of the Shadow Triad... is that what they were? Their voices sounded similar, and their phrases were blurring with the rest of her senses; only every other phrase perhaps seem to sound with any kind of clarity.

"The girl..."

"Refused to come..."

"We're not sure if... didn't search..."

"Offered himself instead..."

"Aftershock of the teleportation..."

But a single voice, different than that of the Shadow Triad's, seemed to cause all White's senses to snap back into focus – not out of hope or happiness, but out of its pure tone of command. She lifted her head as her vision finally became clear; there, of course, one member of the Shadow Triad by his side, was Ghetsis. One dark-clad member still held White by her wrist, and the final one stood on her other side.

"Only one," spat the corrupt sage. "Only one!" He repeated, his voice louder. "I should be very disappointed in all of you." There was a pause, in which he stared at each of them, his cold eyes piercing them as they stood silently. "However... I believe this may work to our advantage." Again, he paused, beginning to pace. "My... _son_," he explained, venom dripping from his voice at the mention of his child, "as you probably have noticed, is quite fond of this girl. Having her here will do. He should be here within the day, I should expect, if not within the next hour. If any of you see him, bring him straight here. Alert everyone else here of this order, understood?"

"Yes, my lord," said the trio in unison.

"Good. Now be off. I would like to have a word alone with this one."

The three then sunk into the shadows and vanished.

Silence. Ghetsis did not face White, his back turned to her. The trainer quickly scanned the room – there was her bag, all her surely still Poké Balls inside it, atop a small table. They must have taken it while she was dazed...

Her movements were heard against the carpet as she pulled herself, hands still tied behind her back, onto her knees. Ghetsis spoke as she sat up, still not facing her.

"Do you know what would be happening, right now?"

She would not give him the satisfaction of a reply.

"Do you know what would be happening, right now," he repeated, "had you not interfered with my plans? Had you not defeated that worthless son of mine?"

But she could not keep her silence at that. "He is _not_ –"

"_Quiet!"_ Ghetsis commanded, his sonorous voice bouncing along the walls. "Do you know what would be happening?" He asked again, his voice quicker and louder than before. "I would be ruling this world! N would have used Reshiram to separate humans and Pokémon, just as he desires, and then _I _would have obtained _all_ Pokémon! There would be no one to defy me!"

White opened her mouth to give a retort as Ghetsis turned to face her. No sooner had one syllable left her lips, however, then Ghetsis had struck her her head with his hand. This caused her to fall onto her side and let out a short cry, more out of surprise than pain, though the side of her head stung now from the force of the impact. Quickly though, she regained her sense and forced herself upright.

"Hmph," said the sage, not facing her any longer. "At least you don't scream. He did that for the first while, particularly when he was younger. That boy – always a thorn in my side. Always insisted on being around Pokémon. As a father, I obliged of course. However, I made sure he was only to see Pokémon that had been hurt by humans. Once he was of age, I handed my crown down to him so he could be king and carry out this 'dream' of his... he was useless and a burden as he was growing up, and even now, when he finally was put to his use, he was stopped by a worthless trainer such as you."

"He's your _son!"_ White instantly interjected, anger overshadowing all her other emotions and the pain in the side of her head now. "How can you –"

"He is no son of mine!" Ghetsis yelled. "That boy is not even human! It's hardly a wonder she died giving birth to such a creature –"

"You're the one that's not human!" White's voice had come out much louder and furious than she had intended; there was no hope for her to try and cover one bit of how she felt right now. "Using Team Plasma, using Pokémon, using and betraying the trust of your own _son_ –"

_"__Silence!"_ Ghetsis roared once again, his voice so loud it almost seemed hard to believe the room contained it without bursting, but White did not yield.

"You're despicable!"

His hand collided with her head again only this time it was much more hard and forceful, knocking White into a wall, her head taking the hit as well. She felt dazed and saw stars, the room blurred as she tried to move, and she fell onto her side.

"The Shadow Triad may have gotten only you, but that means N shall be here soon. Be quiet until then, and you can yet live to see my vision finally unfold."

And the last thing White say as her vision finally dimmed to total darkness was the flutter of Ghetsis's robes as he left the room.

And then, suddenly, the sense of the floor beneath her was no longer there; no, she was not lying on the ground, but standing on her feet... there was a voice, a distant voice, too far away to be identified, yet her vision was dark and she could not yet see...

And then her vision became ever the slowly more bright and the voice began to have more clarity.

"...You're looking for Team Plasma, aren't you? They ran away inside the amusement park. Follow me. ...They aren't here... Let's look for them on the Ferris wheel."

Finally her vision was clear and the sound was perfectly audible. From what she had heard, she didn't need the now-visible long green hair sashaying in front of her as he walked for her to know who it was, where she was, what was going on. In a few steps though he had gotten on the Ferris wheel and she along with him, and they stood in the cart.

They had risen in silence, neither of them daring to speak. Why had he taken her on here? She hadn't known him long; but there was something about him that had made her inclined to accept the offer. She stared at him as his eyes viewed the scenery that grew smaller and smaller beneath them.

"I love riding the Ferris wheel," he had said. "That circular motion... the mechanics... it's a gathering of wonderful numerical formulas."

White had made no reply, continuing to watch him. Surely he had further plans of taking her on the Ferris wheel than to just tell her how much he liked it?

There was only a short pause when, as if reading her mind, he continued to speak. His tone was nearly unchanged, although it now carried a touch of... sadness? Regret? White had not been able to tell. "...I should've said from the beginning... that I'm Team Plasma's king."

He continued before White could process the information. N – this boy probably only two years older than her, so seemingly naïve – king of Team Plasma? "Ghetsis told me I could rescue Pokémon." There was a short, heavy pause. "I wonder how much longer Pokémon can be in this world..."

As if time had fast forwarded, it was suddenly time to get off – the last minute or however long it had been felt unreal. The rushing of footsteps toward them as they got off seemed distant, like they were from another world.

"Lord N! Are you hurt?" One of the grunts said as they came close to their king and White.

"I'm okay," he had said, not looking behind at them, his eyes locked on White and her eyes staring back at him. "In order to rescue Pokémon, I've been catching some to help me along the way as I seek for the means to summon what I need. I'm going to protect them while I come closer to saving them for good, to separating them from humans." Again, silence fell upon them. She searched the light emeralds of his eyes for what felt like ages, as if trying to find a hidden message.

And then he took a step forward and spoke, his voice soft. "Well, White, do you understand my thoughts?"

Slowly, White nodded her head and gave her quiet, verbal response. "Yes." She understood, though she did not want to. She understood what this meant – they would have to battle. They could not be friends. For the sake of the world's future, they would have to fight for their beliefs.

"...That makes me happy." N took a few steps back, properly distancing themselves for the oncoming battle. He spoke again, his voice gaining the confidence that it brimmed without before they would battle – however this time, it carried not only confidence, but a certain heaviness, as if his very words condemned the fate of the two forever. "Well then... for the future I've seen, you won't win here – for the sake of Team Plasma and the future, I will win!"

Without another word from either, Poké Balls flew from their hands and the battle began.

It had been different from their others; of course, now that White knew his true goals, she truly gave the battle her all, as did the king. The victory claimed by the trainer had been taken with much greater effort and by a much smaller margin than the previous clashes – her last Pokémon couldn't have taken much more when his finally fell.

They wordlessly withdrew the final combatants. The grunts left, but neither of the two noticed – N's head was lowered, his visor covering his eyes, though White continued to stare at where they would be.

"...You're quite strong," N finally, almost inaudibly began. "But I have a future I must change." He then looked up, his voice returning to its regular tone. "And for that future..."

He took several step towards her, so close that the tips of the visors of their hats touched as he looked down at her and she looked up to as to maintain eye contact despite their height difference. White's face drew a slight shade of pink at the sudden motion, but did not cease to look him in the eyes, as if by doing so she could stop him from doing this...

"I'll become the champion and become unbeatable, unlike any other! I'll make all trainers free their Pokémon! Just try and stop me! If you want to be together with Pokémon, your only hope is to collect the badges from each area and head for the Pokémon League! Try and stop me there, if you dare!"

Despite the words he had just spoken, he said them all with a smile – he had no doubt in his mind that he would accomplish his goals, that he would make his dream a reality and free all Pokémon.

And then he stepped back a couple of times, still facing her; and for a moment, his smile faded, and White could see a flash of emotion in his eyes. "If your conviction is not strong enough, you will never be able to defeat me."

White gave no response. And so with that, N gave her a last, lingering look, before turning around and leaving.

White stood unmoving in a daze. Had that really all just happened? She watched his figure slowly became smaller until it had completely vanished in the depths of the city.

Surely... surely she could catch up to him...

Without thinking, her hand moved to her bag and she pulled out her trainer case, unfolding it and staring at her three badges which glistened in the sunlight. Five more...

She looked back up at where N had been. He had to be stopped, she couldn't let him fulfill his ambitions – but every time her heart sank when she realized they could never be friends, that they were now destined to fight.

White looked back up at the churning Ferris wheel, staring at it for a final time in an almost longing fashion. She knew that no matter the outcome, she would remember this moment for ever – the moment their fates were sealed.

But then they weren't...

And all of a sudden she was not at the Ferris wheel at Nimbasa, but flashing between different moments since then – N at their battle at the Chargestone Cave, N at the encounter at Mistralton City, seeing N summon Reshiram at the Dragonspiral tower – images and sounds flashed in her mind at a race car's pace. Their battle at the top of the castle, N and the look in his eyes when Zoroark fell, the flash of emotion in them when she said they should travel together. Feelings and sounds rushed to her as more images flashed by to accompany them – the warmth of his back she pressed herself close to her as they flew on Reshiram, the delight on his face when she showed him around Nuvema, the protectiveness of his grip when they were first approached by a member of the Triad, the surprise on his face when she declared their friendship, the warmth and caring of his embrace, the look of nothing but pure concern and fear for safety none other than hers when he reached out his hand and called her name as she was taken away –

White couldn't handle it; her vision again became completely dark. She was not brave enough, not brave enough to face her feelings for him. She thought of him as just a friend, she had told herself a thousand times over, but it was just simply not true. She liked N as much more than a friend. She was not brave enough to tell him that though, and she never would be. She was never brave enough; it was always Cheren and Belle when they were kids dragging her on their adventures about the town, showing her Pokémon and inspiring her to become a trainer.

And then she met N, and that determination and conviction that shown so strongly in his eyes – and then when she found out of his goals, she was only amazed at the bravery he had to truly go through with it, to be a hero capable of summoning Reshiram...

And so it was from him, however ironically, that she learned to be brave – and used this bravery to overcome him in that final showdown. And yet now that they were traveling together, she was unable to summon the courage to tell him something as simple as how she felt – the doubt and the fear overpowered the bravery she thought she had finally attained.

Perhaps she should have let him go, let him travel alone, perhaps she should not have defied their fate. He would be safe, he wouldn't be coming here after her. And she knew that he was, for he was so brave and caring...

As if her current thoughts and feelings were too powerful for her mind in its current, dazed state, the world shut off completely around her while she became truly unconscious, after seeing N smile at her like she loved so much through the darkness one last time, just like he had so many times before.

* * *

_"__Even if you have such strong feelings, I won't be stopped."_

Those had been the last words before he had turned and walked away. His smile had vanished instantly once she could no longer see. His heart felt as if it were heavy, made of lead, and he bit his tongue to distract himself from a feeling like his stomach was turning over; what was wrong with him? She was a human, she was just another person using Pokémon selfishly.

Yet they had said they were happy with her, a trainer...

For the first time, even though he had just said such convicting words, he had doubt. Doubt... he recognized the feeling immediately. He had felt it before – specifically when he first encountered White, and saw her Pokémon, happy... Ghetsis had hit N when he told him about it. Doubt was a sign of weakness, he had said, and weakness was no thing for the hero he would become to have.

He felt it again as he flew on Braviary – doubt. Doubt for White's safety, doubt in himself for not being able to stop her from being taken away. Even it was weakness, it didn't matter – he was no hero, and his final defeat from White at the top of the castle had proven that.

He had felt doubt once more as White had called him a friend. Despite the happiness it had brought him, it had also brought doubt – White was human and N was not. White understood both people and Pokémon alike; N understood neither. He had often considered himself akin to Pokémon, trapped inside a human's body; but no, he was this abomination of in-between, raised alongside Pokémon yet not having a heart – a monster, as Ghetsis had said.

Yet it had been White herself who seemed to remove every sense of doubt within him – White who made him feel human, White who had shown him that they could be friends despite their fates, White who had shown him light when he was in darkness, White with her beautiful blue eyes and her even more beautiful heart...

White... he thought of where she was and instantly his mind flooded with all the terrible things that may have been befalling her that very second, all because of him. He blinked away tears he had yet to shed, and saw beneath him again the flickering lights of Nimbasa's Ferris wheel that had originally set him on this train of thought.

And then as he shut his eyes again, and series of images and sounds and feelings raced through his mind like flashes of lightning. White, unreadable emotion on her face when he told her he wouldn't stop in order to achieve his goals, her eyes shining when she requested they traveled together, the sound of empathy in her voice when he told her of his deceased mother when they got to Nuvema, the cute shyness on her face when she took him to that secluded area of the woods, the strength in her voice when she declared them friends, the warmth of her embrace, the sparkling of her eyes that reflected the sun-splintered ocean at sunrise with her hair flowing behind her, the determination she had when affirmed that she would not leave him by himself, the bravery she showed when she him to just run as she was captured – thinking of all this, he felt as if his heart itself was aching.

And again he begun to think of what could possibly be happening to her now and he wiped the hot tears from his eyes before they fell.

He looked back; Nimbasa was nearly out of sight.

"Please, Braviary," he murmured softly, "hurry..."

He had no idea what type of powerful emotion he had for her anymore, whether it was friendship or love, but he knew that he had to get her.

* * *

When the castle was finally visible, however barely, in the distance, N asked Braviary to rise in altitude. He had made his plan: he was going to land on the roof, and make his way down. Ghetsis couldn't have had all of Team Plasma back yet; and chances are, he had most of them looking for him and White, and there was no way they had gotten the message that White was captured and gotten back to the castle before N. But there was no doubt that this was, as she had said, a trap, and there were sure to be people waiting for him. The Shadow Triad was likely to be there, as well as Ghetsis himself, but the castle was large and N was one person: if luck would have it, perhaps he could infiltrate and take White without them finding out. At the very least, he could find White and create a diversion long enough for her to escape.

The roof of the castle became ever closer, and N readied himself to jump off of Braviary: he had to move as fast as it could, there was no telling if someone had seen him approaching. He carefully took two Poké Balls off of his belt as Braviary began to descend. The stone canopy coming at a rapid rate, the flying-type took a swoop down and N jumped off roughly six feet above the ground, landing steadily on his feet. Turning back to face the still flying Braviary, he recalled it back into its Poké Ball. "Thank you, Braviary," he said softly before clipping the ball back to his belt. Then, he held out the other Poké Ball he had taken, and a jet of let shot from it and formed into Zoroark.

"Zoroark," N said, putting his companion's Poké Ball back onto his belt, "please help me find White. You can take one side of the corridors and I'll take the others. Be quiet and quick."

He nodded and got on all fours, and the two rushed down the stairs and into the interior of the castle. The corridor of the top floor had no other doorways in it save for the one that the two had just come down from, so they made their way to the staircase.

N glued himself to the wall, looking down at Zoroark who laid close stealthily to the ground, peeking around the corner. He began to proceed and N followed suit, each of them heading to one side of the corridor. Readying himself for possible ambush, N braced himself as he opened every door, his heart steadily beating faster with each empty room he was met with. Where was she?

Finally he came to the last room on his side – a room he knew well. He doubted she was in here, but they had to check every one just in case. So he grabbed onto the handle and pushed open the door to his room.

It was in exactly the same state it had been in when he left it. Toys were strewn about the floor and boxes overflowed with them. Several blankets clumped together and a few pillows, making his almost den-like makeshift bed, where several Pokémon would often cuddle up with him.

He had no time – yet his eyes lingered on the room for a few moments. For a second, his childhood seemed like yesterday; spending day after day shut in here, just playing with Pokémon, those Pokémon hurt so cruelly by humans...

If Ghetsis hadn't brought him up like that, showing him abused Pokémon after abused Pokémon – would he have still had this dream? Would he still have sought to separate humans and Pokémon?

N's mind flashed back to her, the girl who had more powerful dreams than his own and had made him realize his mistakes. He shook his head. It was the past and there was no time to think or to doubt – he had to get her.

Swiftly and silently he shut the door as Zoroark met him at the next flight of stairs: there were only two more floors...

The pair went two steps at a time down the steps. After giving it a small glance before hand, the two rounded the corner and proceeded down the corridor, again splitting onto different sides. N went through one, two more rooms – they had to be getting close...

He came to the third room on his side and quickly and quietly pushed open the doors as he had done several times now.

They had parted just in time for N to see White's body collide with the floor, most of her body obscured by the long, dark robes of the man who stood in front of.

_"__Where _is Zekrom?" He shouted.

"I don't have him!" White retorted. She made to get back onto her knees, having difficulty with her hands still bound behind her, but Ghetsis struck her and she feel once again.

"Don't touch her!"

N stepped into the room as the two already inside turned to face him. He felt Zoroark dash to his side.

"N!" White cried, her voice full of – distress? Worry? Pain? N had no time to think about it. He looked at her, seeing her misty blue eyes blurred by what he feared were unshed tears.

"White, I've come to rescue you," N said. White's heart skipped a beat as she saw the heart-aching blend of caring and worry and determination in his eyes.

N then looked up at him, his father. Despite the distance between them, it was easy to tell that Ghetsis was at least a head taller, and small amount of his body actually visible being large and defined. His hair was unusual yet neat. The stark contrast between father and his rather lanky son with somewhat unkempt hair was obvious even with distance between them – the most notable and obvious one however was their eyes. Though one of Ghetsis's was covered by a visor, he only needed one deep red eye to intimidate others; his cold and powerful demeanor was sufficient. N's sparkling, gentle emeralds bore straight into that of Ghetsis's, and father and son spoke for the first time since that fateful castle-top battle.

"A pleasure of you to come, N."

"What is it that you want?" N questioned, a steely edge in his voice that White had never heard before.

The corrupt sage gave no answer but instead took White roughly by her forearm, forcing her onto her feet. N took a step forward but froze when Ghetsis raised to strike her again.

"Good. I see you understand the situation you're in."

"Unhand her!"

Without hesitation, Ghetsis shoved White into a wall, and the girl let out the softest whimper of pain. He took her by her arm again and pulled her back, and N dared not make further movement. Ghetsis laughed. "If you think you can tell me what to do, N, perhaps I you truly don't understand the position you're in."

A short, heavy silence.

"What is it that you want?" N repeated.

"Give to me Reshiram and Zekrom," was his father's instant reply.

"I... I haven't Zekrom."

"Lies!" Ghetsis bellowed, tightening his grip on White and pulling her closer. "Surely you value this girl's well-being a bit!"

N took a step forward. "It's true! I..." He glanced to White, who averted his gaze.

Ghetsis caught sight of it and spoke again. "She doesn't have it! We've searched her bag and her person and she only has normal Pokémon with her! You must have Zekrom!"

Quickly, N took a Poké Ball from his belt, speaking as he did so. "I don't, I don't!" He met the gaze of Ghetsis again, and held out the Poké Ball. "Here, I have Reshiram! Please let her go!"

"N, no, don't do it!" White cried, only to be roughly shoved by Ghetsis.

"You _will _tell me where Zekrom is!" Ghetsis commanded, "Or I will personally see to it that the girl wishes she was never born!"

"I don't –"

"Zoroark,_ no!"_

N blinked, surprised to hear White crying to his friend. He looked down at the dark-type, and even more so to his astonishment, the Pokémon was pulling something from the main on its back – a small, red –

White's voice was rushed. "N, Zoroark, run! You can't let him –"

"Give them to me! Give them to me now!"

N looked back down at his Pokémon and nodded once, taking the Poké Ball from him. He had taken two steps toward his father when he quickly grabbed both balls from him. Ghetsis laughed, still holding White's arm with his other hand. "Triad members! Gather!"

In an instant shadows pooled at the ground and rose, taking form into each member of the Shadow Triad. "Yes, my lord?" They all said quietly.

"Come! The time is now – I have both Reshiram and Zekrom! The three of you and I shall head to the Giant Hole; get the grunts up here to keep these two from escaping! Use any means possible to delay them from giving chase!"

Without a fraction of delay, one of the members stepped forward and took Ghetsis's arm in a single, fluid-like motion. Ghetsis let go of White, pushing her forward, and then vanished into the ground with his subordinate. The other two simultaneously followed, yet they teleported a short distance behind themselves, out into the hallway, and quickly shut the door on the reunited pair.

N rushed forward to White, catching her before she fell onto the ground. "White," he said, his voice nearly cracking and his eyes full of hot tears as his heart swam with relief, fear, concern, and one hundred other emotions. He pulled her close, feeling her warmth against his body. "White, White," he repeated, his voice soft as he lowered his head, his mouth close to her head. "I'm so glad you're – oh, White, are you okay?" Worry shot into his system again as he stepped back, looking at the spot on her head where she had been hit, which was covered by her hat. He took a hand and ran over it, glad to not feel a bump.

"N, I'm fine," White said, looking him in the eyes. "N, I... what are we going to do?" Her voice was quiet, her mind running through all the possible things that may be happening as Ghetsis ran free, both legendary Pokémon in his hands, at this moment. She could feel the tears well up in her eyes. There were no doubt tons of grunts crawling the place now, and even if they could get out, how could they manage to get out in time to stop Ghetsis from whatever he was planning to do? She blinked, and a tear ran down her cheek. She glanced up at him briefly – despite the bleak situation, she could not stop her heart from being aflutter, because there he was, right in front of her, coming to her rescue. "Thank... thank you for saving me, N," she said, "but what are we going to do now? We've got to stop him, but..."

There was something about her lack of her usual bravery, that somehow caused N to feel confident – perhaps it was the hope to reassure her, or perhaps it was the desire for her to think that he was brave like she was. "Don't cry," he said softly, bringing a single finger to her cheek and wiping her tear away, before gently resting his palm on her face. "There's nothing to worry about. We're together now, and we're going to stop him." He smiled, speaking the words as they came to his mind. "Besides, tears mar your beauty."

Her face flushed as his warm touch and his words and her heart stopped. She commanded it to beat again, yet it refused – but this was N, _N!_ N who was raised with Pokémon, N who had the heart of an innocent child, N who thought of her as nothing but a friend, so she had to stop feeling like this, she had to...

Yet she couldn't, and her mind was just as frozen as the rest of her body and her lungs burned for air. "I, uh," she managed to stammer before N spoke again.

N moved his free hand up, gently taking one of hers. "White, we're going to get out of here and we're going to stop him. We have a journey to get back to. I promise." He paused. "Do you trust me?" He looked straight into her eyes, those misty blue pools; he saw the color of her face deepen and heard her shallow breathing. She was... nervous? Why? Like he sometimes got nervous about her? So then, if what he suspected may be true about how he felt, then perhaps...

Her heart started pumping again, her brain functioning and her lungs breathing. She could not help but give a small smile. "Of course I trust you, N." He beamed back at her, and her smile grew wider – here he was, instilling confidence in her once again, showing her the light when she was in darkness.

N stepped to White's side so as to face the door. "I'm sure the Shadow Triad locked it when they left. But I'm sure Zoroark could break it down with a Focus Blast." He paused as his mind rewound to a few minutes ago, when Zoroark had handed over Zekrom's Poké Ball. "By the way, White, how did Zoroark get Zekrom?"

"As I was being sucked into the portal, I had managed to get his Poké Ball from my bag and I tossed it up to Zoroark. I told him to hold onto it, because I had a feeling Ghetsis might want it." N nodded as White continued to speak. "The Focus Blast would definitely be a shock for who ever might be out there and it will probably give us a chance to get a running start. All we have to do is get to the roof and then we can take off on Braviary," White said. "But we should have a Pokémon out with us for when some people do try to battle us."

"Right. I'll bring Zoroark, since he's probably fastest, too."

White stepped over to the table where her satchel was, looking at the balls inside of it. After a moment of deliberation, she took one out and pressed the center button, causing it to grow in size. She held it out, and a beam of light shot out and took form into her Cinccino. It leapt up into her arms and she hugged the fluffy Pokémon. She then set it down. "Stay close to Zoroark, okay? We're escaping." It nodded in response, getting onto all fours next to Zoroark. White swung her bag over her shoulder and walked to N's side. "Do you have Braviary?"He nodded and handed her a Poké Ball, which she held onto, wanting to have it at the ready the moment they could make their escape. The trainers stood behind their Pokémon. "Ready?" White asked, looking at her companion.

N nodded, taking her hand at the same time. "We have to stay close." He smiled and her heart melted.

"R-right."

He turned his attention back to the Pokémon. "Zoroark, Focus Blast!"

A ball of energy swirled and formed in front of the dark-type, and both N and White shielded their eyes from the bright light. Seconds later the shot and impact was heard, before the crumbling of the bits of wall it had destroyed.

Without hesitation the partners and the Pokémon sprinted from the room through the newly blasted exit, seeing a grunt against the wall, who had evidently felt the blow of the impact second-hand.

N glanced back at him. "We're sorry!" He called, but of course did not slow their pace.

The group made their way up one flight of stairs, but could already hear footsteps and voices behind them as well as awaiting them from the top. "Cinccino, use Swift and clear a path up there!"

The small Pokémon dashed ahead of its friends, reaching the top of the stairs and conjured stars that shot at the two grunts and their two Pokémon who waited in ambush. The Plasma members dodged to the side, allowing a passage way that the group dashed through into the middle of this hall. Two more grunts stood at this end, sending out their Pokémon as White and N approached. The other two who had been stalled by the Swift at the beginning quickly regrouped, barring the downward flight of stairs.

"We're surrounded," N said, his tone fast.

"We'll have to fight."

"We can't afford to be delayed!"

"What else can we do?" White asked, glancing back at him.

He tightened his grip on her wrist. "Recall Cinccino," he said quickly and she did so without question – she trusted him.

"Zoroark, Night Daze!"

There was a flash of blackness and suddenly the corridor was pitch black. They could hear the sounds of the Pokémon being hit by the dark waves that Zoroark shot out. White felt herself being pulled forward by N, following his lead in the complete darkness.

N's heart was pounding. He didn't like the dark, not one bit, but somehow holding onto White made it all okay. And he had promised her they would escape... he began to ascend the stairs, hurrying, but being careful not to trip. He could hear Team Plasma following them.

The darkness began to fade as they arrived at the top floor. N could dimly make out the final stair case that led to the roof; it was clear. White peered ahead, seeing the exit fainting coming into view – she readied herself with Braviary's Poké Ball.

The pair and Zoroark sped up the stairs, light from the outside beginning to flood their vision. White glanced behind them. "N, they're close!"

The former prince called Zoroark back into its Poké Ball as the final stairs came into view. White tossed hers ahead of them and onto the roof. "Go, Braviary!"

The large Pokémon cried as it took shape, landing on the ground. The trainers bolted ahead, their hands still locked together. N, slightly ahead and also taller than his companion, hoisted himself onto Braviary's back before pulling White up.

"Braviary, go! We have to go east as fast as we can, okay?"

A psybeam attack, shot by a grunt's Swoobat barely missed Braviary as it began to take off. The flying-type picked up speed, rising higher and higher into the air.

"Try to get into the clouds," N suggested. "They might have flying Pokémon too and try to chase us, but we can probably lose them if we do that."

White nodded. "Right, Braviary, get us up as high as you can!"

Within moments they were soaring high and the grunts on the castle were just specks. They set their coarse due southeast.

And then it was silent. The cold air blew over both of them, causing White to shudder. N pulled her a bit closer.

"N," White finally said, "thank you for coming to me. When I saw you, I... it made me really happy." Her face was pink and butterflies flew in her stomach as she told him this, but she wanted him to know.

He smiled although she could not see it, but the tone of his voice gave it away. "I will always come to save you, White."

"I... I can't wait until we can just be traveling together again," she said, her voice quieter.

"Me neither." He paused, and when he spoke again his voice was more serious. "White, I actually have a request. After this, instead of continuing to Castelia as planned... could we perhaps go straight to Nimbasa?"

"Nimbasa? Sure, but... why?"

For a moment he gave no reply – unsure of what to say. "I... would really love to go on the Ferris wheel again."

She looked back at him, smiling. "Me too. Sounds like a plan."

The wind catching her hair, that cute and sincere smile – she was so pretty.

"I look forward to it," he said honestly. Their faces returned to the sky ahead of them. "Let's put an end to this, together."

"Right!"

Again, he tightened his grip around her waist and she held onto his hands with one of hers, the other holding onto Braviary. For once there were no doubts in either of their minds – it was just the two of them, soaring high in the sky, sharing their warmth and their determination, giving each other bravery for the fight they knew was approaching and they knew they had to win.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Chapter five end.

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A/N: So braindead. Been working on this for a while, wrote most of it in one sitting. Longest chapter yet, ahhh. I highly enjoyed writing it though and I hope you enjoyed reading it. Again, thanks to everyone for the reviews, I've been replying to all the signed ones just so you know how much I appreciate it! So I hope you guys like it and I hope you're looking forward to the conclusion!

_- Medli_


	6. Chapter six

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Chapter six

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They had not been flying long when their destination neared. Braviary knew the situation and flew as fast as he could, despite being fatigued from the earlier trip. Sunset was incipient, and the far western sky casting over Unova was tinged a light purple, as the last remnants of light blue hung onto the eastern horizon.

"The Giant Chasm is a huge crater-like area after you traverse a small cavern," N began to explain. "There are legends that it can suddenly begin to snow inside despite being nearly completely enclosed. It's supposedly a result of Kyurem's absence of energy – it causes the heart of his domain to be cold."

"Absence of energy?" White questioned, her head slightly tilted to the side. "How does that work?"

N briefly cast his eyes to the sky above, thinking. "Well... Reshiram and Zekrom are counterparts to each other. Destined to eternally fight. But to counterpart Reshiram and Zekrom themselves, who embody the most powerful of energies known as light and darkness, Kyurem exists. If Kyurem wasn't there to balance out the struggle between the two, the world would have fallen to ruin. Unlike some Hoenn legends regarding Rayquaza, Kyogre, and Groudon though, Kyurem cannot calm and to some extent control Reshiram and Zekrom, as Rayquaza can to Kyogre and Groudon. Kyurem merely balances out the trio." He paused. "So the legends say, anyway."

For a moment White gave no reply other than a small "Mm." She too looked up the sky momentarily in the midst of her thoughts – Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem. Reshiram and Zekrom, destined to fight forever. Reshiram and Zekrom, opposite embodiments of each other, like light and darkness, like yin and yang.

But – it was also true that you could not have darkness without light, that yin only existed because of yang and vice versa. So then...

"N," she said rather suddenly, "Reshiram and Zekrom can't exist only for the sake of fighting each other. I can't believe that. I've been thinking about it, and – well, I don't know," she suddenly began to stammer as her thoughts continued – if Reshiram and Zekrom could not exist without the other, does that extend to heroes that they chose to partner with, to her and N? Were she and N destined counterparts to each other? Her face suddenly flushed. She was definitely seeing too much into this, it was just a legend!

"Hm?" N looked back at her after she had not spoken for a moment. Her eyes were cast downwards, her cap's visor covering her blush as she wished. "What is it, White?" N asked, his tone as concerned as ever.

White swallowed, her eyes still cast downward. "I – well, wouldn't it also be true that Reshiram and Zekrom couldn't exist without the other? Don't they – well, depend on each other, in a sense?"

N's eyes moved to the horizon, his head still turned towards White. Nothing he had ever read about Reshiram and Zekrom had stated that. Anything he read told of how the two were destined to struggle with each other eternally, choosing heroes to partner with. He thought if he could become that hero for Reshiram, who embodied light, he could surely accomplish his dreams, which is what caused all these events in the first place... but White had a point. You couldn't have light without darkness, you couldn't have Reshiram without Zekrom. And there were tales where it seemed that perhaps, somehow, fighting between them could have been avoided...

And then there was White herself. A girl he thought he could never be around – after all, they had been chosen by Reshiram and Zekrom. They were destined to clash and fight, which they did... and even though he lost, these days afterward had been the happiest he had ever known, despite everything going on around them. Along as he was with White, he felt this strange happiness not like anything he had known before, this foreign sense like he could do anything as long as she was by his side. This weird feeling of belonging, like everything was right...

And finally the strange, strange feelings that made his stomach seemingly somersault, his face to flush, and a happiness to flow through him that seemed to warm his entire body – all her doing. He had his theories as to what is was and if White was correct in the way she had explained those things to him in Nacrene City, which felt like years ago now, he was going to risk their relationship as it was on the Ferris wheel, yet he had to. He had to. He knew he had to, and things would work out, right? They had to – they had to. What would he do without White? The girl who made him realize the truth, the girl who he had looked forward to seeing so much in his journey, the girl who he, for a reason he couldn't explain at all, he just wanted to hug and hold for hours...

"I think you're right," N finally said after floating in these thoughts. "And I think that's how we can put an end to Ghetsis."

"What do you mean?" White asked, meeting his eyes.

"If we can get Reshiram and Zekrom back, if we fought together and combined their power – I'm sure we could defeat Ghetsis and Kyurem."

To his surprise, White smiled. Still holding his waist with one arm so as not to fall off, she moved one hand to cover his. "Well, of course," she said. "After all, didn't we agree that we could do anything together?"

As always, he couldn't help but return her warm smile. "Right."

As the walls of the Giant Chasm came into view, Braviary landed in a small clearing among the trees that surrounded it.

"Thank you so much, Braviary," White said as she took out a Poké Ball form her bag.

"Yes, thank you," N added, stroking the bird-like Pokémon's neck before it cawed once and was recalled by its trainer.

White quickly glanced around, seeing nothing around them but the trees. "I didn't see Team Plasma anywhere when we were flying in, and I don't see them around here..."

"I'm sure they're already in the Giant Chasm. We have to hurry."

Losing no time, the two went along the walls that surrounded the cave, searching for an entrance. They came upon a large opening in the rocky mass in less than a minute.

"It's dark," N stated, peering into the shadows.

White took one step in and looked around. "It's not pitch black though. I have pretty good night vision - we'll be okay. Besides, you said the cave before the actual crater place is small, right?"

N nodded and White took three more hurried steps in, and then heard N quickly come to her side, and then felt the warmth of his hand holding hers. "Be careful," he said concernedly as she met his pale emerald eyes in the darkness. "We have to hurry, but you can't get hurt."

She simply gave him a nod and hoped he couldn't see the redness on her face as she turned away.

There was no words between the pair as they traversed the rocky and uneven terrain that made up the cavern. The light from the entrance faded as they continued in deeper and deeper, eventually becoming so dark it was difficult for them to see more than five feet in front of them.

"What are we going to do if we just can't see anything?" White finally asked.

"We'll think of something," N said reassuringly. There was a pause, and then he suddenly tugged her hand suddenly yet gently, pointing to down off a small cliff they had been walking around. "Oh, White, look!"

The trainer cast her eyes downward, and they were instantly drawn to what he wanted to show her – the gleam of light that shined through the exit of the cave.

"But how are we going to get down there?" Swiftly, she looked around. "I don't see anything we could use as stairs or footholds or anything..."

N gazed over the cliff and down at the cave floor below it. "We'll have to jump. It's not that far. Let me go first since I'm taller, and then I'll help you down."

"Are you sure?" White questioned, looking at him. "You can't get hurt either."

"I'm sure. We can't afford to waste any time, either."

"Be careful."

Nodding once, N lowered himself into a sitting position, letting go of White's hand and allowing his legs to dangle off the edge of the cliff. Then he began to steadily shift himself off, careful to grip the edge of the cliff with his hands as tightly as he could. After bracing himself briefly, he let go.

The former prince landed on the ground with more balance than he had expected, hitting it with the bottom of his feet and stepping back just once so as not to fall over.

"Are you okay?" His companion asked, looking down at him.

"Yes, I'm okay. You can get down fine, White." He smiled up at her, hoping she could see it through the darkness.

White sat on the cliff, her legs suspended off of it. Taking a deep breath, she slid off and took the cliff by just her hands.

But her hands slipped as she tried to turn her body, and she fell. She let out a short shriek, a mix of surprise and fear, as her body descended to the cavern floor. She shut her eyes, bracing herself for her collision with the rocky surface.

Yet she did not land on the rocky surface, but instead was held by two much softer, thin surfaces, one under her knees and the other under her back. Swiftly, she opened her eyes, meeting a pair of light emeralds.

"White, are you okay?" N asked hurriedly, his tone worried. "I was scared you were going to hit the ground..."

The girl then realized it was N's arms holding her, carrying her in a princess fashion, and her face instantly overheated. "Y-yes, I'm fine!" She looked away, unable to meet his eyes. "Th-thank you..."

He set her down as gently as possible. "Are you sure you're not hurt at all?" He said, one arm still around her waist.

"I'm... I'm sure..."

Reluctantly, he nodded once and then turned his attention to the cave exit. The two began to walk, but did not go as far as two steps before N gently took her hand, his other arm continuing to hold her. "Careful, now."

White took a somewhat shaky breath – her legs felt a bit like jelly, and not because she had just fallen – and continued forward. As they drew nearer, both tuned their hearing to pick up even the slightest of noises – where was Ghetsis? Kyurem? Could this have possibly been a trap?

But it was silent, completely and deadly silent, save for their footsteps.

The light from the exit was a harsh contrast to the darkness of the cave which made it nearly impossible to see anything in the actual chasm part of the Giant Chasm.

Doubt began to overtake White. "N, is he... is he really here? I mean, do you think this is... a trap?"

"Even if it is a trap... we can get out of anything as long as we're together, right?" He smiled at her, like a beacon in the darkness. "I think we already proved that."

Her face flushed and she was suddenly glad that the cave was so dark. He had a point, though; no matter what lay ahead, surely they could overcome it if they faced it together. White opened her mouth to give thanks, but instead gasped as the cave began to shake and a blaring cry resounded from within the chasm.

The pair bolted towards the light, covering their eyes as they struggled to recover from the sudden, intense brightness. It was made harder due to the rapid falling rate of this cold, powdery –

"I-it's snowing!" White said, trying to see something, anything through the storm around them. "It's like a blizzard!"

N too looked around, but shut his eyes and covered his ears instinctively when another cry resounded around them, the giant walls of the chasm closing it in and making it louder and more powerful than it already was. "That has to be Kyurem!" he said, attempting to communicate with White over the noise.

The cry died down and all that remained was the sound of the icy hard snow whipping about, and something they both did not expect: laughter. Maniac, continuous laughter, pausing only to let its equally maniac owner speak.

"Kyurem! Cease! Struggle not, for I am your master!"

"Ghetsis!" White exclaimed, her eyes attempting to focus on where the voice appeared to be coming from. Kyurem let out another cry.

Hand-in-hand, their free arms shielding their eyes, the two began to trudge through the oncoming blizzard, the continuous monologue of Ghetsis pushing them to move faster.

"Reshiram! Zekrom! Though I am not the hero you have chosen, you have no choice but to attempt to detain Kyurem! And without the strength of the heroes by your side, you will fall to Kyurem's might, and then I shall capture him in his weakened state! And then, with the power of Kyurem at my command, no one will be able to stop me!"

He must have thrown out two Poké Balls, because the next thing able to be heard was the cries of Reshiram and Zekrom.

"We have to get to them before the fight breaks out!" N said. "A fight like this could cause massive damage to the surrounding area, and there's that town right by...!"

Within a few seconds of his statement, outlines began to form themselves: three colossal figures, and one of a man, his robes fluttering in the gusts of wind.

"Ghetsis, stop this!" White yelled as they drew closer, colors beginning shaping the figures. Zekrom stood out, his black body a stark contrast to the white surroundings; Kyurem less so, and Reshiram blending in save for the fire that burned from the tips of its wings and its backside.

The corrupt sage turned to face the two, his son and the hero that had defeated both N and himself. "N, White – I'm glad you could come and see it; the moment in which I shall gain unimaginable power!"

"Kyurem would never listen to you! Do you think it can't tell what kind of evil intentions you have?" White called back, she and N advancing closer.

"But Kyurem will have no choice! Without the disruption its presence causes while close to Reshiram and Zekrom, the three will have to fight – it is a law of nature, the collision of opposing powers. And without the power of the bond Reshiram and Zekrom make with their heroes, they will fall to Kyurem's might – and while weakened, I will capture Kyurem. Bound by its master, it will have no choice!"

"Do you think that will actually work?" N cried to him. "That's no bond between the two of you – force is never the answer! If you chose to rule anything by force, it will eventually backfire on you! That's why I wished to gain Reshiram's power in order to show people my way was right, not _force_ them –"

Ghetsis stepped toward them, his voice a cacophonous mixture of hatred and madness. _"Silence_, N! You were always such a thorn in my side, and in the end you were worthless! You will be the first to fall victim to my power!"

Before either N or White could reply, Kyurem cried out again, looking between Reshiram and Zekrom. The white and black Pokémon cried back in unison, stepping toward Kyurem.

Ghetsis laughed. "The clash of the ages is about to begin!"

N and White ran forward, letting go of each other to head towards their respective dragons. N looked up at the vast white Pokémon, calling to it. "Reshiram! Stop this, please! Ghetsis is just using you! My friend, please listen to me!" White stood next to Zekrom, giving a similar plea.

"As if Reshiram could listen to you now, N! No matter what kind of bond you share, Kyurem upsets the balance too greatly for Reshiram and Zekrom to ignore! Just like with Reshiram and Zekrom by themselves, just like with you and White, and just like you and me, N – they are destined to fight, to embody opposites of each other!"

"That's not true!" N shouted as he turned to face Ghetsis, emotions overcoming him. "White has showed me that! She's showed me that no matter what destiny may bring, everyone can still work together and live peacefully with each other despite that!" White watched N as he spoke; such raw emotions, such powerful words, surely no one existed who couldn't be swayed by them...

Kyurem roared, bearing its fangs. Ghetsis stepped back towards it, still facing N.

But N also took a step forward, fighting the blizzard forces against him. "White has showed me this truth, this truth that is just as important as ideals." His voice became softer; barely audible over the winds. His eyes bored holes into that of Ghetsis, who stood still, almost stone-like. N took another step forward. "So, father, please..."

And then Ghetsis laughed, his maniac, insane laugh. "N, it is as I have said. You are no longer my son – and nothing can stop me now, and you shall be the first to fall victim to my powers! It is a shame you cannot see the new world I will build, with myself as ruler over all people and Pokémon!"

White could see the hurt in N's eyes – the finality of it all, the pain of which the end they knew was here brought. But she could also see it turn quickly into resolve – the resolve to end this the way it had to be ended, for Ghetsis had to be stopped, and they had to stop him.

Kyurem's cry blared around them, as it shot forth ice from its mouth at the two opposing dragons. Both Reshiram and Zekrom cried back, shooting fire and electricity respectively at the ice shots, causing a small explosion at their collision.

White grabbed one of Zekrom's lowered hands, calling at him with desperation. "Zekrom, please! N is right, you're just being used! I know it's hard, but the only way to make this right is if you could listen to me again, for us to work together again as hero and dragon!"

Zekrom roared, angered by the distraction from the imminent battle. Taking its large free hand, it swung down and hit White, knocking her several feet away.

The girl cried as she hit the snow on her side, the coldness stinging her wound.

"White!" N called, his voice filled with distress and worry. He ran over, quickly getting on his knees and pushing her back up with an arm. "White, White, are you okay?" The trainer asked frantically, shaking her slightly.

White's eyes steadily opened, struggling to focus on her surroundings. "N... N, please, you have to stop Reshiram... and Zekrom..."

N held her close and ducked his head as he heard another blast of someone's attack above them. "But I can't without you!" He paused, feeling something warm, some kind of liquid –

He pulled his hand back, and saw his palm coated in blood, blood from the cut on White's arm – Zekrom had actually sliced her with his hand. _"White!"_

"It's okay, it's okay," White said swiftly, her voice fading out along with her eyesight. "N, there's no time, please, you have to..."

He cut her off. "No, White, I have to keep you safe, I have to, I have to..." He started to panic – what could he do? Where could he bring her to safety? And when he did, what could he do about all this?

And then he saw her eyes, her eyes fluttering shut as the cold continued to bite at her whole, wounded body. He shook her again. "White, White! Please, White, wake up!"

But she gave no reply, and N pulled her closer, trying to give her any kind of warmth.

"White, no, please..." His voice became softer and softer, until it was unable to be heard – yet he continued to speak. "White, please, I need you... I love you, White..."

…

And then Reshiram and Zekrom cried, a cry different from their previous ones – it was not loud and menacing, but filled with other emotions. The deep black Pokémon stepped forward, and N stared up at it – what was it doing?

Zekrom lowered its head to be as level as it could manage with N and White, drawing close to its chosen hero. N held his breath.

And then Zekrom's eyes closed, and White's arm let off a faint, blueish glow.

"What's going on?" Ghetsis bellowed. "Kyurem, attack them!"

Kyurem roared, and began to charge an attack.

N watched as the glow began to fade from White's arm, and with it, the wound on her arm. Within a second, her eyes were fluttering open once again.

"White? Oh, White! White, thank goodness!" N cried, nearly at tears, hugging White as tightly as he could.

The girl looked around quickly, regaining sense of her surroundings. "N, look out!" She exclaimed, seeing Kyurem charge its power behind them.

N jumped up, pulling White with him as gently as possible. Zekrom began to nudge White's shoulder, motioning at itself with its hand.

"White, I think Zekrom is apologizing to you – they're accepting us again! I think somehow we were able to recreate our bond!"

Reshiram called to N, lowering itself as Zekrom had. The pair split and climbed onto the backs of the dragons.

Ghetsis laughed again. "It is no matter – it's too late! Kyurem, show them –"

But he was cut off, for Kyurem was acting on its own; he was not Ghetsis's to command. The boundary Pokémon shot an ice beam at both the dragons and the heroes.

The trainers held tight to the backs of the dragons as they cried out, ready to work again with their chosen ones.

"Thunderbolt!"

"Flamethrower!"

Lightning and fire shot from the dragons and collided with the ice beam, causing an explosion that sent Kyurem stumbling back.

N and White looked at each other, as did the dragons; there was no need for words.

"Reshiram!"

"Zekrom!"

The dragons cried, and Reshiram began to glow red at its wing and finger tips, while Zekrom glowed blue.

"Kyurem!" Ghetsis roared. "Prepare yourself –"

But again he was cut off, overpowered by the voices, the emotions, the strength and power of the heroes and their dragons.

_"__Fusion..." _They said, as the energy charging within the Pokémon grew ever stronger, the fire within Reshiram and the lightning within Zekrom both crackling.

Silence.

_"__Flare!"_

_"__Bolt!"_

The fire and the electricity collided together as it hit Kyurem, sending the Pokémon flying back, and the force of the explosion causing Ghetsis to soar across the ground as well.

And then it was quiet, as the blizzard began to cease and the smoke from the attacks began to clear. N was the first to slide off his dragon, and White followed suit. The boy looked around, and quickly caught sight of Ghetsis, lying in the snow. The snow crunching beneath their feet, both trainers walked over. N knelt at the sage's side, feeling his wrist.

"He's okay. He's just unconscious."

White nodded slowly. "That's... good. But we should get him out of here quickly... what if the Shadow Triad show up?"

N shook his head. "I don't think they will. They haven't yet, so I think we can assume either they were caught, or Ghetsis told them not to come so that they wouldn't be harmed by the battle, perhaps." He paused. "Alder doesn't make use of the Xtransceiver, does he? I think we could trust him with taking Ghetsis away, but..."

"Cheren trains at Victory Road, though," White replied. "And I can call him, and I think he could get in contact with Alder."

N nodded and White quickly took out her Xtransceiver from her bag, calling Cheren. She didn't have time to give him too many details, as for all they knew the Shadow Triad could show up any second. With the promise that he and Alder would be there in a minute or two, White hung up.

"But N," White said as she put the Xtransceiver back into her bag, "what about Kyurem? Will it be okay?"

N walked over to the boundary Pokémon, which was still laying in the snow. Gently, he placed on of his hands on its neck. "I'm sure it will be okay. I can't say for sure how, but Ghetsis forcefully summoned it against its will. I'm sure that was why Kyurem was so upset and attacked Reshiram and Zekrom." He turned to White and smiled. "What I said to Ghetsis is true. You showed me that no matter what destiny dictates, it can be changed and everyone can get along. I'm sure Kyurem will be fine." He then turned to face Reshiram and Zekrom. "And as for these two, I think they deserve a nice, long rest, yes?"

White smiled and took out her Poké Ball, and the two recalled the legendary dragons.

As promised, it was not long before both Cheren and Alder showed up. Many questions were asked – mostly by Cheren – but they did not delay long, and hauled Ghetsis away before any sign of the Shadow Triad may have showed up.

Alder had sat on the back of his Druddigon with the still unconscious Ghetsis, Cheren had released his Unfezant, not yet ready to go. "White, what are you going to do from here on out?"

"I'm... going to continue to travel with N and see new places. I want to see more of the world."

He nodded, climbing onto the back of his Pokémon. "Very well. Be careful, then. Call me on the Xtransceiver any time. I'll mostly be at Victory Road training some more."

"Right. Take care."

"Same to both of you."

Without another word, Cheren gave a small wave and took off on his Unfezant. Alder nodded and waved. "Best of luck, you two." And with that, he was gone, and N and White were alone.

N looked at her, and all of a sudden it hit him, everything that had happened within the recent time, all the emotions that had hit him and now, in the quiet and stillness of it all, it seriously hit him what he had felt and how deeply he had felt it. The panic when he thought White was so dreadfully hurt, the sadness that had consumed him – the words he had realized and said to her there after.

"N?" She said, her voice breaking him out of his trance. "N, is everything... okay?"

He stared at her another moment without reply.

"N?"

He had to be honest with her.

He stepped forward and brought her into a hug. White's breath caught in her throat momentarily as her muscles froze. "N, what –"

"I was so worried," he said. "When Zekrom hit you like that, I – I was so worried, White. I panicked. I'm just... I'm so happy you're okay," he finished, his voice soft and nearly inaudible.

Steadily, White put her arms around him. "Thank you, N. Me too."

There was a bit of a silence as the two stood simply holding each other. Finally, White spoke up. "Where... are we going to go now? Are we going to continue going across Unova and go to Castelia City?"

N stepped back, still looking at White with his hands on her shoulders. "Actually, White – I was wondering if we could go to Nimbasa City," N said, his voice not steady and calm as per usual.

White blinked, surprised. Nimbasa? Why? Yet she could not compel herself to ask why; the tone of his voice hinted at... nervousness? And White didn't want to pry. Besides, N must have his reasons. "Sure."

N nodded. "Do you think Braviary will mind taking us? Reshiram and Zekrom will probably be noticed, and more importantly I think they're probably quite tired."

White shook her head. "I think he'll be fine. Besides, we're not in a rush, right? He can take his time," she asked, taking a Poké Ball from her bag.

N smiled. "Right."

"Okay then, let's go, Braviary!" White tossed the Poké Ball up, and as she caught it again in her hand, the shining light formed itself into the large bird-like Pokémon. "Braviary, could you take us to Nimbasa City?"

Braviary landed, cawing softly.

"Great." White climbed onto his back, holding out a hand to N, which was quickly taken as he pulled himself up. "To Nimbasa!"

Again Braviary cried, soaring up into the sky with incredibly swiftness and heading due southwest.

As the Giant Chasm drew ever further away, and the clouds increasingly closer, both N and White remained silent. Even though now they were not going to face a climatic battle, the air around them was tense and nervous, and neither dared speak.

White drew a shaky breath. Why did N want to rush to Nimbasa? Her mind was flooding with possibilities, and all seemed to connect to the Ferris wheel. N had asked her about it in Nacrene, asked her if it was a special place to her, if she liked it – but why? Why take her there now? Surely he couldn't be – no, no. N didn't even know the basics of dating, he had to ask her all those questions... but then why? Was it – was he, in actuality, thinking that what Ghetsis said was true? That they couldn't exist together? Was he beginning to doubt?

N looked up at the clouds, his arms holding himself close to White. Was this the right thing to do? Could he really do this? As White had explained, he would be taking a risk. He didn't know what she would say. But he was willing to take the risk; liked White as more than a friend, and he hadn't realized it until just then in the Giant Chasm, but he loved White. He loved White, who showed him that truth is just as important as ideals, that destiny does not dictate one's fate, that Pokémon can exist with people and be happy. He loved White, who accepted him for who he was as a friend.

He loved White, who he hoped more than anything would accept him as more than a friend.

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Chapter six end.

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A/N: I want everyone to read this note, please. I genuinely want to thank everyone who left me reviews, put my story on their alerts, added it to their favorites, etc. It made me feel really good about my story and every single one made my motivation to continue it grow stronger. I had no plans of abandoning it all, I just wasn't sure when I would continue it. Admittedly, I had lost motivation, but everyone's reviews in particular really gave me something to work at! I really hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you'll enjoy the epilogue just as much. Thank you all so much for reading and being patient and bearing with me.

Edit: I've also now edited all previous chapter to contain English names for everything that hadn't been given an English translation yet (all the cities, several Pokémon, moves, etc.), and also fixed some typos.

_- Medli_


	7. Chapter seven

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Chapter seven

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_"__I continue to fight, seeking strength,  
as I remember the things I realize in my fleeting weakness.  
I ran believing in the solitude I felt,  
and had no one to rely on._

_You were always close by me, giving me your kindness.  
Looking back, the truth is that I longed for it.  
There are things I can't say very well,  
but at last something was born that could convey them without words."_

– "Don't Be Long" by Nana Mizuki

* * *

As the two began draw in on Nimbasa City, the sunset began to close in on the sky. The sun was just beginning to be clipped off by the western horizon, where the sky was still a light blue; the eastern meeting of the sky and the ocean had just began to sparkle with the first couple of stars, accompanied by the dark blue of night. The orange in the middle divided but also brought together the seeming opposites that were night and day; different yet so strikingly similar, counterparts that had the ability to oppose but – more importantly – the ability to come together and create something beautiful, like so few other things could ever do.

The view of all this from way up high, soaring on Braviary, was nothing short of magnificent – N and White both thought this as they took in their surroundings.

N, behind White and holding her waist, saw her looking from one horizon to the other. He smiled; he had not felt this serene for quite some time. The fact that he felt so serene right now struck him as strange, however. Yes, it was true he wasn't worried about many things he had been just a short while ago – Ghetsis, Kyurem, Reshiram and Zekrom, and most imperatively, White's safety. But now he was worried about something else, something unlike anything else he'd ever been worried about – namely, his emotions towards White and how she would receive them. How did she really feel about him?

He shut his eyes in thought – it was another unsolvable formula. She had said herself they were friends on several occasions. She had corrected Lenora when the archeologist thought they were dating. She seemed jumpy, or nervous, when he hugged her, when he touched her; when he showed signs that apparently humans could interpret as something only done during dating and not during a friendship. But then he could feel his own heart rate accelerate when White was close to him; was this because of how he felt about her?

Why were humans emotions so complicated? N sighed inwardly. There was simply no way for him to know, as White had explained. He had to take the risk, because of how strongly he felt.

But what if she didn't feel the same way? What would happen? What if he lost the relationship he had already built with White? White, who had saved him from himself, making him realize the truth. White, who was his first and only human friend. White, who accepted him and understood him like no one else had before.

Could he really risk losing that?

Unconsciously he pulled himself a little closer to White. What would he ever do if he lost her now?

White felt her face heat up a bit as N's body pushed into hers. He seemed off; not his usual self. Then again, it's not like White was feeling completely normal either – why were they headed to Nimbasa? Why did N want to get there so quickly? Should she ask? No – no, something compelled her not to. What if Ghetsis had swayed him? What if he was beginning to doubt? Could she handle that, losing her friendship with N?

And even if that wasn't it – how was she supposed to deal with herself, and how she felt about him? She couldn't keep just pretending that he was just a friend, because to her he wasn't; he was N, N who was the sweetest and most considerate and caring person she had ever met, N who showed her the beauty of ideals. But he was also N who had no human friends – she knew that she was his first real friend; how could she take that away from him by being selfish and giving into her feelings? N probably didn't even know how to detect such emotions anyway – it was foolish of her to think they could ever be anything more than just friends.

His voice broke her out of her thoughts. "There's Nimbasa."

The tallest structure of the city caught her eye first – the brightly lit, ever-churning Ferris wheel. The glowing light of the yet-to-set sun shone on it, making it stand out even more.

Braviary began to descend to the ground. N took a deep breath.

"White?"

White could feel her heart jump; she had no clue what he was going to say, and all her nerves were on edge. She looked back at him. "Yes?"

He did not meet her gaze. "We... we will always be friends, yes?"

She gave him a small smile. "Of course."

N turned his head up, looking into her blue, blue eyes. "No matter what?"

"No matter what."

White faced front again and her smile instantly faded. If she wasn't nervous before, she definitely was now.

Braviary landed gracefully, cawing softly. The two trainers slid off the feathered back, and White gave her Pokémon a gentle hug. "Thank you so much, Braviary."

"Yes, thank you, Braviary. You've been a lot of help."

White recalled the eagle-like Pokémon in a red light and put the Poké Ball back into her bag. She thought about asking N where they were going, but there was no need. Where else could he possibly want to go?

And so the two silently strolled into the streets of Nimbasa City, their stomachs tossing about amidst their silent tension. They went past the Nimbasa Gym; how long had it been, White wondered, since she battled Elesa and received the Bolt Badge? About as long as she and N had stood on this very ground and battled, she supposed.

She broke out of her trance as they stopped to stand line for the Ferris wheel. To their luck, however, there was but a short waiting time. Before they knew it, the two were standing in a cart on the Ferris wheel, and they had begun to ascend to the sky.

For moments there were still no words between them, and the silence was now emphasized in the enclosed space where no noises from the city could permeate. White swallowed and glanced at N, who was staring out to the sky. She could feel the the thousands of Butterfree fluttering in her stomach. Gathering her courage, she took a deep breath and spoke. "So, N, why... why did you want to come here?"

N turned to face her but White did not meet his gaze. "You... you agreed that this was a special place... right?"

"Of course... I mean, this... this is..." White drew a shaky breath; why was she so nervous? She could barely speak properly. "This is where, well, this is where..."

"This is where I told you I was the king of Team Plasma," N finished for her.

"R-right."

Silence.

N took a deep breath. He had to do this, now, while they were here, before he lost his confidence. "White, there's something important I want to talk to you about."

White felt her legs start to turn into jelly. "Y... yes?" She was scared, scared of what he was going to say, and the endless possibilities began to race through her mind once again.

N opened his mouth and then closed it. He hadn't thought about this too much – what exactly should he say? How could he possibly convey his feelings into words properly? What did people usually say in this situation? No – no, that didn't matter. Conventional manners didn't matter. All that mattered was getting his feelings across to White. What had she said in Nacrene...?

And then suddenly his mind began to jump to all different things at once – going on the Ferris wheel for the first time, battling White and Zekrom, White getting kidnapped at Nacrene, flying to Nuvema Town with White, White holding his hand, White's smile – so many different emotions all at once.

But at the center of it all was the pure happiness he felt when he was with White.

"N?" White said softly.

He realized how long he had said nothing, and attempted to gather his confidence again. How to say this in words? How to say it properly, how to let White know how strongly he felt? Should he think about it, or should he just say it –

And then words just began to spill out of his mouth, like when he had been holding her in the Giant Chasm. "White, you are very special to me. You're the first human friend I've ever had, and you've taught me so many important things. You've made me realize that Pokémon and people can live together in happiness, but more importantly that one can defy fate and live as they wish. You've allowed me to accept being a human, and saved me from being alone – you saved me from so much sadness. I can never show you how grateful I am to you for that, White." He paused and White spoke up.

"I could say the same thing to you, N. Before I met you, I... I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I began traveling because Cheren and Bianca did. But when I met you, I – I was so inspired. I had never met anyone before who had such strong beliefs. But when I found out you were the king of Team Plasma, I... I didn't know what to think. I had thought we could be friends, but when I found that out I started to doubt that. And then I had to keep traveling, especially once you told me you wanted me to wield the Dark Stone and Zekrom. And then when we confronted each other on the top of the castle, I... I realized what I wanted to do. I wanted to travel, and sort out ideals of my own. And I wanted to be with you, because I wanted to be your friend."

There was a moment or two of silence before N spoke again as he took in her words. "White. There is something I want to ask you."

The girl finally met his gaze; the emeralds that, as always, were filled that strong resolve. "Yes?"

"In the Chargestone Cave, you told me you had a dream. What is that dream?"

White shut her eyes for a moment. "I dreamt... I dreamt that somehow, both of us could be happy, despite the conflict between us."

"...I see... White, have you been happy these past few days? These... even with everything going on around us, these have been some of the happiest days of my life. White, you make me happier than anyone else has or ever will."

White felt her heart jump; did N realize how the things he was saying could be taken? Or was he doing that intentionally? How could she respond? She knew she couldn't hide how she felt forever, and with every word that N said, keeping it hidden now seemed harder and harder. "You too, N, you too," she said, her voice hurried, as she took a step towards him. "N, I, I..." But she stopped, her confidence vanishing. How could she possibly tell him this, how could she possibly tell him how she felt? Would N even understand her emotions?

And then N stepped close to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "White, I've been thinking a lot about what you told me in Nacrene City. You are my very precious friend, but I don't think I feel the way about you as a friend should. I want to spend all of my time with you. I want to make you happy, and make you feel better when you're sad. When you fell unconscious in the Giant Chasm, I... I don't think I've ever felt more scared in my life." He paused, and took a deep breath. "White, I don't know if you feel the same way, but I'm going to take a risk and tell you that I love you, because you make feel stronger than any other Pokémon has ever been able to, and I never thought that would be possible."

At once the world froze for White, and she stood completely still as all her muscles ceased to function. Everything suddenly seemed like a surreal dream. N loved her? Was that even possible? Her legs felt weak, like they could give way at any second. Did N mean what he was saying? Did he know what he was saying?

Of course he did – this was N, who was more strongly connected to emotions than anyone who had ever met. This was N, telling her that he loved her, N who had showed her the beauty of ideals, N who had the pure heart of a child, N who had rescued her from Ghetsis, N who was always gentle and kind and brave. This was N, who she loved, too.

But N spoke again before she could, her silence making his heart ache. Of course. He should have never said anything. How could he expect White to feel the same way? White was human and he was not. He slid his hands down her arms, lightly holding her wrists. His voice was soft, and his eyes did not meet her. "I'm sorry, White. It was foolish of me to think that you would feel the same way about me."

And then, as if she had lost control of her body, White stepped forward on her tip-toes and kissed him.

Like White had previously, N became utterly motionless. What was going on? Was she returning his feelings? He couldn't even think – all he could focus on was White, here, so close to him, and her lips, soft and warm like the rest of her, just pressed against his –

It was only a short time, though, before White stepped back. She cast her eyes to the corner, her face flushed. The Ferris wheel was just reaching its summit; everything below them seemed so tiny, insignificant, like they were the only two in the world.

For what seemed like an eternity neither of them dared move or say anything. N looked down at her, praying she would say something – how did she feel? Was she saying that she loved him, too? Or that she recognized his feelings, but perhaps she didn't feel the same way? He had to say something, he had to know. "White?" He asked, his voice so soft it was barely audible.

White still did not meet his eyes, but gave her reply in a whisper. "I love you too, N." Oh, why had she done that? Obviously N wouldn't know how to react. She had probably just made him nervous and uneasy. "N, I'm sorry I –"

Whatever she was going to apologize for, N didn't care as he gently lifted her chin and kissed her. Of course he no idea what he was doing or why he did it, but he just mimicked White's action in his soft and gentle way.

White made a small, cute, surprised noise in her throat, and N pulled back. "Oh, are – are you okay?"

Despite the redness of her face, she met his light emerald eyes and beamed at him. "I'm fine. Actually, I'm great."

Right then, as her blue, blue eyes sparkled and she smiled at him, nothing but the sky outside around them, N thought she looked impossibly beautiful. He smiled back at her, stepping forward and putting his arms around here. She was so happy she couldn't help but laugh, throwing her arms around him.

He pulled her closer and she looked up at him again. She stood on her tip-toes once more, inching their faces closer, and he leaned down a little and they were kissing another time. With confidence born from their words, they moved their lips and made it a real kiss instead of just pressing their mouths together. Their faces burned as they felt their tongues make contact – softly and gently, and filled with a warm love.

After an amount of time that neither of them could discern, they slowly pulled their heads away, staying close so as to stay in each other's arms.

"I love you," N said quietly.

"I love you, too."

They stayed cuddled into each like that, no words between them, until their cart reached the ground again. They had pulled away from each other reluctantly, and held hands as they walked off.

White had been first to break the silence. "Well, um... what now?"

N smiled at her, holding his free arm out as if showing her the world itself. "It's still light out! We can continue to travel today, of course."

She giggled, reaching into her bag. "Alright." She held out a Poké Ball, and a red light shot out of it and took the form of Braviary. She climbed onto her Pokémon, pulling N with her. As they took off into the sky, N said, "White, I have a question."

"Hm? What is it?"

"We... we will always be this close, right?"

White turned her head back, giving him a swift kiss on the cheek. "Of course we will."

He could not help but smile, putting his arms around her and pulling her close with no trace of forgotten nervousness.

"So... where to?" She asked.

"Well, if we're going to travel and see the world... why don't we head to somewhere off of Unova?"

White put her hands on top of N's, holding them tightly. "I like that idea." She paused. "So... we're off to see the world?"

"We're off to see the world!"

And then, together, they chanted, _"Let's go!"_

And so they went, soaring off into the orange sun, soaring off into the area between night and day. They would always be together; they were different yet the same, two halves of one, two beings that needed the other, like the sun and the moon, like Reshiram and Zekrom, like yin and yang.

_"__Don't be long; because I met you, the courage that shines in my heart  
releases forth a strength beyond imagination.  
Let's move forward with all our might so we don't lose to destiny;  
an unforeseen development is opening up the future."_

_Fin_

_

* * *

_

A/N: Wow! Wow, I, uh... I'm not sure what to say. I had a bunch of things planned I wanted to include in this note that came to me while I was writing, but... yeah. Wow, well, uh, there you have it, I guess. I finally finished. I guess first and foremost I want to thank from the bottom of my heart everyone who stayed with this story and even more so people who left me reviews, as they really mean a lot to me. I try to take my time to respond to every one I get via PM, and if you left one recently I probably haven't but I plan to get to that right now. If I don't, I'm so sorry, but really, thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm really hoping everyone who was enjoying the story so far enjoyed the ending. I spent a lot of time on it! On specific notes... I've never written something that's climaxed at a confession scene like that so much so I'm sorry if the confession itself and the kiss was sloppy, but I tried my best. And I'm sorry if the very end of it was rushed, I just... I wanted so badly to finish this, to see the end of it myself!

Part of me wants to write a sequel to this, just because I love writing N and White so much, and it's like I've grown so attached to them! But I mean I know deep down a sequel to this would never go anywhere - I mean what could happen? So I guess what I'm saying is I plan to write more NxWhite just because I adore it so and as much as I want to this is probably the finale of this story. Anyway, um... thanks to all who put me on their alerts! I'm going to keep writing and plan on writing a lot more Pokémon fics, so I hope you'll read those. Well... I guess that's about it! Again, thank you all so much for sticking with me, and I really hope you enjoyed it!

_- Medli_


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